


Tamers (Arc 1)

by JohnnyMueller



Series: Tamers [1]
Category: Digimon Tamers
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-04-02 17:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4068454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnnyMueller/pseuds/JohnnyMueller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life often seems to place people in strange situations, as was the case in Shinjuku, Japan in 2006. Despite having never interacted before, the Tamers came together quickly, and in the process, changed not only themselves, but the world.</p><p>*PROBABLY DEAD*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

Beginning

_[These brackets here indicate a note from me. Some of them were in the original Japanese release. Some of them have been added for this English translation. Enjoy. – Johnny Mueller]_

“A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;  
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he.”  
– Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, Section 6

_The only feeling that is more oppressive than failure is the feeling of complete mediocrity, that nothing in your life will come to anything. Once your life runs out, and all that remembered you died, what will be left? A gravestone with a name that’s close to anonymity? A past shattered by your choices? Or a legacy that shall live on as a person who did what they could?_

_[In the original Japanese, the literal translation for mediocrity would be “lack of anything special”. That would’ve been too wordy, so I changed it.]_

Takato had read that somewhere, or heard from one of his anime, he couldn’t exactly remember. Wherever it had come from, it felt like he had to remember. It got him through most days.

_[It actually comes from a light novel/anime called The Wind’s Destiny, about a rural teen moving to Tokyo and the changes he experiences. The quote comes from Volume 3/Episode 14, where one of his new friends talks about his views on life. I actually don’t know if Takato ever read it or watched it, but it seems like something he would’ve.]_

Right now, sitting in science class, trying to understand the levels of classification, it seemed to mean nothing for the 13-year-old. Not in the way that meant that it was incomprehensible (it was quite simple, to be honest), but that he wouldn’t really need later on in life. Most likely, he’d just end up running his father’s bakery, get married, have a few kids, and die happy.

This was the main source of his anxiety. In the end, his life would not amount to anything, that his whole existence was just going to be forgotten. The people that he cared would be happy with him around, sure, but even they would die, and he didn’t have that many people to care about. Talking with others didn’t feel right to him, so he often spent his free time by himself, drawing the environment around him. It was the least he could do to make himself happy.

The only time he was ever able to relieve this pressure he felt was whenever he was drawing Digimon designs. He never could figure out what attracted him to it; it just felt like things were understandable in the anime metaseries. Even if it the characters or situations were different, there was always this knowledge that they’d triumph through moral will. The designs were what got to him the most. Each Digimon had a very unique design, ranging for badass to the macabre. He often liked to fill up notebooks with his own ideas, often with comments about attacks and evolutions surrounding them.

His favorite was this red dinosaur he thought of a few days ago. About as tall as him, sleek, with evolutions that would make him even stronger and more bestial. He just had to think of a name.

He liked Guilmon, for some reason.

_[Where he came with it, I’m not entirely sure. It seems like the English word “guile”, but knowing Guilmon’s personality and Takato’s knowledge of English at the time, I’d be surprised. It could also be a reference to the character Guile from Street Fighter… but that sounds ridiculous, to be honest.]_

*

Yuki Kiriyama’s office wasn’t the black coffin that many of his new employees expected. Rather, it was decorated with high-quality wood and plush chairs, creating a quite casual atmosphere where ideas could flow. Or in this case, alcohol.

_[I’m down with that.]_

“So,” Yuki slurred a bit as he poured another shot of sake _[Eh, I got whiskey right now. Close enough.]_ , “I’m trying to convince Suzaku that he shouldn’t be so concerned with the project. It’s my money, right, I can do whatever the hell I want with it. And he tells me that… he doesn’t want to go through with it because his wife would never stop bitching at him if it fell through.”

Peter got the vague feeling that Yuki had told this story before. However, the two shots of sake started to dull his memory a bit. He got the feeling what he would say next, though. “And you said…”

“I told the asshole that, if he wanted to hear bitching, I should introduce his wife to that college student who had his kid 2 years ago. His dumbass shut up quick.”

_[Nice.]_

_Always the one with the quick wit and knowledge_ , Peter thought as he joined his stepfather in another shot. He always enjoyed these moments; he didn’t have them much in his early childhood… He decided not to go through that right now. Thinking about that time while drinking never went well. Still, he appreciated that Yuki was willing to spend time with him, even now.

_[In the original Japanese, I left it more ambiguous what Peter was thinking, but I felt that wouldn’t have translated as well into English.]_

“Well,” Peter said as he got up, slower than he would like, “I gotta head back home. See you for dinner?”

“Yeah, if this buzzing stops. See ya round.”

As Peter exited the office, he looked over at Yuki’s secretary. Young, a bit flat, but still attractive. _[Great. Someone who appreciates the female form.]_ He walked over.

“I’d suggest you cancel his appointments for the rest of the day. And try to keep Suzaku out of there, if you can.” He knew that, even if Yuki could handle his liquor better than most (he had gulped seven shots while they talked), it wouldn’t end well if anyone walked in there. Especially a certain financial advisor.

“He doesn’t have any, Mr. Frank, except this short one with Toei. I guess they won’t mind.”

Peter looked over to make sure she did what needed to be done. It wasn’t like she was wearing a miniskirt with thigh-high stockings. He would’ve known.

They were only knee-length. _Damnit all._

_[Nice.]_

“Anything else, Mr. Frank?” Yuki’s secretary said as she looked up with him with a slightly pissed-off look, one that also showed a kind of fun. Peter flirted with all of Kiriyama’s secretaries… and the female employees… and his old high school friends (a lot of whom seemed to possess very feminine qualities)… and a lot of women in Shinjuku. Yet what always got people interested was that he never seemed to be serious in his efforts to find a lover. It’s as if he was experimenting, not really invested in the outcome, just wondering what would happen if…

“Nah, I’m good. See ya round, Mari.” Peter started walking towards the elevator.

“It’s Mai.”

“Got it.”

As the elevator went down the Kiriyama Tower, Peter looked at the mirror inside. His shoulder-length hair was just the way he liked; his bangs partially covered up his eyes and the back part felt nice on his neck. Of course, it did cause a few odd moments regarding gender, but those were sorted quickly.

He felt through his hair. He really liked it when people did it. It wasn’t a sexual thing or something fetishistic; it just created a calming sensation. He especially liked it whenever his sisters or mother combed through his hair. He always felt close to them, and that was just one of the ways they showed that they cared for each other.

The one thing that got to him was the colors. He liked them just fine, but it still got to him whenever people commented about it. It wasn’t his choice to be born with hair that was colored orange, crimson red, and gold. At least his other family members were normal; his mother was straight blonde, his elder younger sister was a light red, while the youngest of the three was born with the same red, but dyed her hair a blue-black a couple years back so the two wouldn’t be confused.

_[Yes, he’s pretty bishie. Let’s move on.]_

Out of nowhere, a buzzing started to fill his head. He knew it wasn’t the alcohol; three shots of sake shouldn’t make him feel like the world is coming to an end. Rather, it was like radio static or a piece of electronics malfunctioning. What made him want to shit his pants the most was that it was coming from somewhere. To be precise, the sound was pointing him in a direction, towards an industrial part of the ward.

He knew he had to be home, but he got the feeling this noise wouldn’t leave him alone. As he got off the elevator, he let it guide him.

*

Takato could feel it moving from the streets into his body, a sort of electricity. It flickered on and off as he ran past storefronts and bicycles.

It had all started earlier, when he came home from school. Retiring to his bedroom, he was surprised to see some sort of device on his bed stand. It was small, fitting in the palm of his hand, and was mainly gray, with a red circle around the center screen.

Was it a toy? If so, his parents probably would have told when he got home. Then, it started vibrating. On the screen, he could see some sort of white egg, with red spots on it. Then, the egg hatched, and the screen vibrated even more as he saw a glow from his pocket.

After the vibrating and glowing stopped, he decided to look at his sketchpad; that was the only thing in that pocket. To his surprise, the drawing of Guilmon had disappeared. No erase marks, no faint lines, it was like he never drew it.

Takato decided that this was a good time as ever to lay down on his bed. Either he is an dream or he had gotten a… No, that couldn’t be possible, they don’t exist in the real world, no way.

Still, it was there. In his hand. Showing something different. A compass with an arrow spinning until it stopped, pointing towards Ichigaya _[Ichigaya is located in the eastern part of Shinjuku]_. Maybe, just maybe… Gulimon would be there.

He got to the location about 20 minutes later: an old factory that hadn’t been torn down yet. He went inside.

The place smelled of rot, old beer, and God-knows-what-else. It was cold and felt like something could fall on him at any time. Guilmon was somewhere, around here. He just had to figure out where.

“So, what’re you lookin’ for?”

The voice came behind him, so he turned around.

What, you think he’d look up?

The man behind him appeared to be young, college-age. His hair made him look like a girl, but his voice made it clear what gender he was born as.

“I… don’t know, to be honest.” Takato knew he couldn’t say why he thought he was here. He would’ve looked crazy. The whole situation was crazy to begin with (what else would you call finding a device that links you to a hitherto fictional monster) _[Exactly]_ , but he, at the very least, knew he didn’t want to be thought of as… not all there in the head. “Why are you here?”

“Got a feeling something was going to happen.” The man was looking around, trying to see if he could find it.

“You got a name?”

Takato looked at the man for a second. “What?”

He looked up. “Listen, kid, I gotta feeling we’re going to be in an interesting situation soon – what I’m not sure – but I would at least like to know your name just in case something happens.”

While he was a stranger, Takato felt like this man wouldn’t hurt him. He had a very calm feeling, as if odd situations like this didn’t bother him. He could trust him – a bit.

“Takato. What about you?”

“Peter. So… wait, look over there.”

Takato and Peter went near a hollow part of the factory, where they could see some sort of mist forming. It felt powerful, like there was something growing inside of there.

“So,” Peter said as he looked over to Takato, “you wanna go down there?”

“Sure.” It’s not anything bad could happen… right?

By the time they got to the bottom floor, the vast majority of the fog had disappeared, leaving behind a figure. A very familiar figure to Takato. Peter, surprisingly, showed little-to-no shock in his face, instead going for pointing at it. “Is that a… Digimon?”

_[Nope. Kamen Rider... I hope someone in this line gets that joke.]_

The boy could only nod. It was impossible, no way in hell this could happen, but it did. Not only did Digimon exist, but there was one right in front of him, his partner, even.

The humanoid dinosaur started walking towards them, with a look that somehow combined dullness and intent. Peter moved Takato behind him.

“Wha-“ Takato started to ask, but it seemed that Peter knew what he was going to say.

“We don’t know if he could be a threat. Even if he is a Digimon, I could take him down if necessary. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Did… did he just hear Peter right? _He_ could take down a Digimon? Takato couldn’t tell from Peter’s clothing whether he was muscular or not, but still… he just said that. _Well… he’s either crazy or he’s got the biggest set of balls in the world._ He really hoped it was the latter.

_[It is.]_

By this time, Guilmon had reached them. He seemed more intent than ever as he started… sniffing them. OK. Eventually, his nose reached Takato’s bag, as he sniffed a lot there. Then, he looked up at his new partner.

“Food?” The voice was somewhat unexpected from the Digimon. It wasn’t like the slightly gruff man Takato imagined, but rather a young boy. At least it wasn’t annoying.

Then Takato actually remembered he brought a bag (he wondered why his shoulder felt weird the whole time) _[-.-]_. He put some stale bread in there before he left home, just in case his Digimon was hungry.

Yes, stale bread. To be fair, Takato didn’t know that Digimon could taste things. Then again, it didn’t really matter. As he would soon find out, Guilmon would eat just about anything that was food.

Takato took out one of the rolls in there and handed it to Guilmon. Or rather, as Takato’s arm was moving towards his partner, the Digimon swiped the roll and started eating it. Yeah, Guilmon wasn’t created with the best of manners. They both had things they could work on.

Guilmon licked his lips (or the area around his mouth, he didn’t have what humans would call lips) and looked at them.

Now that he knew Guilmon wasn’t dangerous, Peter could ask the obvious question. “So… what’re going to do with him now?”

You know, things were so much easier in the anime since they always started in the Digital World ( _hey, is it real in this universe?_ Takato thought. That was a question for later). It would be likely that someone would call the police if they saw a dinosaur as tall as a human child walking around in Shinjuku. And he was sure as hell his parents wouldn’t allow the Digimon in their house (bad for business, he guessed would be their first reason, dangerous to Takato, second). So, he had no answer for Peter. Fortunately, Peter did, in the sense of answering his own question.

“I think I know a place where he can house him. It’s in an isolated part in a park in Ushigome, and we can make sure that he doesn’t roam around. First, though, we gotta get him over there without anyone seeming him.”

*

If it worked for Solid Snake, it could work for them. And it did.

Peter found a cardboard box in the factory that would fit Guilmon. So, he stuffed the Digimon in there and made sure the box couldn’t open from the inside. Then, he and Takato went off to the park. The two of them didn’t say anything to each other, Takato because he was still amazed, and Peter because he was evaluating the whole situation.

Here’s what he knew (or could come up with) at this point: 1) Digimon are real. 2) They can exist in our world. Whether or not a Digital World exists is still a question. 3) The boy next to him was his “partner”, which probably meant the boy could help the dinosaur in combat, and 4) He had no idea what the fuck to do next.

_[His last thought wouldn’t be as vulgar in Japanese, but I wanted to get across how baffled he is by the whole situation.]_

Go to the authorities? They wouldn’t believe him, and Guilmon might go feral if he was threatened. Tell Yuki? What would that achieve? Besides, he felt that, the fewer people that knew of the situation, the better outcome could be achieved. God, choices like this were the worst for him.

Finally, they arrived at their destination: an old concreate building, which hadn’t been used for a while. As far as Peter knew, it was used to store gardening supplies when the park was bigger, but it closed after the shrinkage in the ‘80s. It was in a deep part of the park, away from the playgrounds and commonly-used trails, so it would be rare for anyone to come around. Besides, they would be scared off pretty quickly by the giant dinosaur inside.

Peter set the box and opened it up. Well, at least Digimon couldn’t vomit; he knew a trip like that would have his stomach reeling.

“You alright?” Peter asked Guilmon.

“Dizzy, everything spinning.” The creature spoke simply, but Peter got the feeling that he would be able to learn things quickly while in the real world. He helped him out of the box.

“Well, Guilmon, welcome to your new home. It’s kinda cramped, and it probably gets really dark at night, but it could be worse.” Guilmon could be homeless, although Peter got the feeling that Digimon didn’t really care about their living spaces.

Guilmon walked in, somewhat uncertain, but seeming to like the shed.

He walked in… he walked… in… Wait a minute… ah shit.

_[I know that feeling.]_

There was no door for it, Guilmon could just walk in and out anytime he wanted to. While that wasn’t the worst thing (Guilmon could get out quickly in case there was a rogue Digimon (that would imply that there were others, which he didn’t know, to be honest)), it did mean that there was nothing from keeping Guilmon inside. If he got out when someone besides the two were around… he didn’t really want to think of the consequences.

 _How to keep him in…_ The solution came quickly. He had to do something like this several times when his sisters were younger, and Guilmon was basically a child, so why shouldn’t this work?

“Hey, Guilmon, you liked that bread Takato-kun gave you, right?” Peter hoped the Digimon knew who he was talking about. At least he was observant, as he nodded. _Do Digimon just have the same gestures as humans do, or was that artificially created? Another question for another day_.

 He kneeled down so that his face met the dinosaur’s. “Well, I could give you some more, but you have to promise me something. You have to stay inside this shed unless one of us says it’s OK to come outside or you feel there is a threat. If you can do that, I’ll give you bread every day, OK?”

_[Cool guy.]_

Guilmon liked the sound of that a lot, as he nodded even faster, to the point where Peter was worried he would get whiplash. Takato opened his bag and dumped out the rest of the bread. Guilmon sat down and started eating it, slowly, as to appreciate each bite, which surprised Peter. The two humans went outside the shed and sat on the stairs that went up to it.

Takato looked over at Peter. “So… what now?”

Like he could answer that question.

“I don’t know, Takato-kun; besides, you’re his partner. I think you would be more likely to know.”

Takato looked at the ground and seemed to think for a while. Peter didn’t know what to make of the kid. While he seemed excited to have a digital partner, he approached everything with a trepidation, as if life was going to bite his hand. Still, the fact that he accepted Guilmon meant that the kid had some sort of decency.

Finally, Takato spoke. “I think… I think I’m supposed to help people. Protect them.”

“I like that answer, Takato-kun.” Peter noticed that Takato turned away a bit. “Hey, I don’t mean to embarrass you or anything like that. I just think that helping people is a good thing.”

Takato looked back towards him. “You don’t think that sounds childish?”

Peter got confused at this point, due to the lovely nature of being mistaken. “Aren’t you still a kid?”

“… I’m 13.”

“Well, I thought you were 11… maybe 10.” Peter rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that.”

Takato looked back at him with a slight smile. “It’s alright.”

Both of them looked at the sky. The sun still has a couple of hours left, but they should still get home soon.

“Well, I gotta go. I have to help my mom with dinner.” Peter started to get up, before he remembered something. “Your last name… you never told me that.”

Takato stood up with him. “Matsuda. Takato Matsuda.”

“Frank. Well, it was nice meeting you, Takato-kun.” Peter shook hands with him. “See you tomorrow, say ‘round this time?”

“Yeah, that’s good with me.”

“Alright.” Peter started to walk off. “See you later, Guilmon.” Considering that Guilmon didn’t have the best sense of time (or at least he thought), he changed his words. He could hear a “Bye-Bye!” come from the shed as he walked out of the park.

As he started his way home, he thought of the two ways he thought this might end. It could either turn out pretty well for him and Takato, or it could make their lives a living, tortuous hell.

_[Of course, isn’t life the same thing?]_


	2. Tamer

Tamer

When he woke up in the morning, Peter usually took this time to remember what he had to do.

_Let’s see… I gotta deliver the final product to the Boss… pick up Delphina and Agathe from the train station, because Mom’s got a doctor appointment… get food for Guilmon…_

So, yesterday did happen. That wasn’t a dream. Aw, shit.

_[I know the feeling. Except there’s usually more death involved.]_

This was one of those times where Peter really wished he had some idea what the fuck he was thinking. What the hell was he doing, getting himself involved in something like this? Why?

Takato and Guilmon was some of the reasons. It was like looking at a puppy in the rain; you kinda just wanted to help it. Of course, Guilmon was quite bigger ( _and possibly deadlier, though hell if I know_ ) than a puppy.

The main reason… well, it’s not like he had anything better to do.

_[… To be honest, I’m making up these reasons. Never in his diary did Peter ever state why he decided to help Takato. These could be the reasons, but we have no idea what they really were.]_

As it was, after he got his sisters home, he would go to the store, buy some bread, and head to the park. If Takato was there, he would try to see if he learned anything new. Hopefully, the boy had been tinkering with his Digivice (that’s what it was called, right?) and figured out something new about it. In any case, they could discuss their situation and figure out where to go next.

As he got out of the shower, he looked at his face in the mirror. His eyes, his light blue eyes, when did they start looking so… lost? It was like when he was a child, and…

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts ( _Thank God_ ) _[Damnit!]_ , followed by a female voice saying “Nii-san! Are you done in there?”

“Yeah, just give me a moment.” Peter wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door. It was exactly who he was expecting it to be, his twin sisters, Delphina and Agathe.

_[… I swear this doesn’t become a hentai.]_

He still had no idea what his mother was thinking when she gave them French names and him an English one, but it didn’t really matter. They were two of the most important people to him, and they loved him just the same.

It was always odd whenever one of his friends said they couldn’t relate to one of their family members. In his household, he felt that he could open up to any in there. His mother, with his wise but optimistic advice, or his sisters, with their enthusiasm, could always help him with whatever problem he had, and he took care of them likewise. It was a rare perfect household.

His thoughts were once again interrupted by a shirt being thrown in his face. It was Delphina’s, he knew; Agathe would have tossed her’s toward the side.

Of the two, Delphina would’ve been seen as the more attractive one. Her soft red hair flowed to the bottom of her back, near her curvy ass. Her breasts had gone from a C to a D recently, which made her extremely excited. That’s an easy way to describe her: excited. She had many friends, most of whom shared her enthusiasm for life. She loved having fun and being around the people she cared about, especially if she was helping someone. Overall, she was a good person to be around.

As for Agathe… well, she was quite the opposite. She often spent time by herself, reading whatever book had interested her. She didn’t talk much, but her words often showed the wisdom that many wouldn’t expect from a fifteen-year-old. If Delphina was beautiful, then Agathe could be described as ethereal. Her boyish blue-black hair and small frame gave off an impression of fragility. However, Peter knew she was stronger than that, as she had been taking judo for a decade now, and had recently reached first dan. The one thing about her body that seemed to bother her were her small breasts, but, if she had her mother’s genes, that would change. Probably after she had a few kids. Genes kinda suck that way.

But enough about woman, let’s talk nudity. Peter was not bothered at all by his sisters undressing in front of him, nor were they of his top nudeness (the bottom was covered, but even then they wouldn’t mind). To them, nudity was something that was just there and shouldn’t be fussed over.

_[… I may have to change my previous comment.]_

“So,” Delphina said, “what’s on your plate today, Nii-san?”

“Well, gotta drop off something, pick you guys up after school, then I’ll probably just wander around town.”

“Nii-san, you need to find a girlfriend and fill her up with a few kids, have a nice family, and get a ‘respectable’ job.” Just because someone’s always nice doesn’t mean that can’t be snarky.

Even without the statement, Peter knew what she was thinking. Everyone wanted Peter to find a girl – or a guy, though it was much more likely to be a girl – and have a happy life. They noticed that he didn’t seem content with his path. He was well aware of that himself, but he didn’t know what to do. Everywhere he looked, it seemed like nothing was going to give him happiness. He would just spend his life doing something that only gave him financial satisfaction, and even that he already had, job or no job. At least the way he was right now, he could try to find whatever it was that made him happy.

_[His diary mentions multiple times that he felt some sort of depression before the events of Tamers. In one entry in his 34 th year, he writes, “I walked through every one of those days like I had to swim through a thick fluid. Nothing I did seem to make any difference.”]_

By this time, Delphina and Agathe were totally nude and they had started up the shower again.

“Mmm, I can’t wait to get into the shower. I gotta… mmm… do something special, and warm water makes it better.”

Well, that was quite obvious considering the way one hand was rubbing her tits and the other was petting her pussy as she stepped in. He was about to leave this eventual den of lust _[the literal translation would have been “scene of a sensual experience”, but that doesn’t sound as interesting in English.]_ when Agathe grabbed his arm.

“Aniki” – even if she spoke to him more formally _[In Japanese, there’s a more distinct difference between polite and rude language than there is in English. This difference is shown in Agathe’s word choice.]_ , this was how she referred to him – “do you think you will ever find someone you love… like that?”

He could only give an honest answer. “Maybe.”

“Alright. See you later.”

“Yeah.” Peter stepped out of the bathroom. He walked over to his room and chose his outfit: a t-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers, a leather wristband. The usual. Usual. Usual. He was tired of that word. He wanted something… different.

As he walked downstairs towards the kitchen, he could smell cooked food and hear his mother humming. It was _La Marseillaise_ , one of the many things that showed where she was born _[If you’re unfamiliar with the song, then the second part wouldn’t make sense; to explain, La Marseillaise is the French national anthem. One that advocates quite a bit of bloodshed… Not condemning it, just finding it interesting, that’s all]_. She would sing it to him whenever he had one of his nightmares as a child. So many of the things that he loved when someone did it, it always seemed to be something that his mother would do to help… Damn. He really felt like he needed to pay her back in some way.

“Good morning, Mom.” He greeted her as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning, Peter.” She replied physically and verbally. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

“Yeah, I did.” He used to have a lot of nightmares as a child, but those stopped as he got older. Nowadays, he didn’t dream much, and when he did, they were often sexual. He could only remember a few things afterwards; he would be in a forest, nude, he felt cold, a woman approached him, she gave her cloak to him, he saw her body, a perfect model of femininity, her hair a light golden brown, he held her close as they began to make love… and that was it.

_[Hmm, I find it interesting that he described the woman this way, considering his wife has the same hair color and… well, she could be described as a proper fertility goddess.]_

He hated not knowing the ending of things.

He got himself one of the fried eggs his mother made, poured some milk, and started peeling an orange. “So, how do you think your gyno appointment is going to be?”

“Fine, I think. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you know…” It was always fun for Peter to rile someone up, especially with someone that could take a joke. His mother was probably at the top of that list.

She walked with a fake sternness and looked directly at him. “And, what does that mean?”

Peter looked up at Estelle Frank with a smile on his face. She was as tall as he was, which surprised him; of course, he was only 5’8’’, no matter how much he wanted at least one more inch. Her body was well sculpted, as his inner artist would say: long sleek legs, a face somewhere between sharp and curved, big, toned breasts ( _I think it was G-cup last time she mentioned… or was it Yuki? Maybe both)_ , and a body that seemed to promise something most people couldn’t have.

_[… Either I need to stop living in this line, or I gotta stop drinking while writing, ‘cause this is really starting to sound porny… What do you mean, porny isn’t a word?]_

However, that didn’t mean she was a bitch – at all. He had never known anything but kindness from her. She always did her best to make her children were happy, while letting them live their own lives. She treated everyone as well as she could, but she wasn’t weak; she wouldn’t care for anyone who gave shit to her or her family. Probably… _[Probably…]_

A moan echoed throughout the house from upstairs. Both of them didn’t look up; they knew who it was.

_[Damnit! It’s always the horny younger sister who interrupts the dramatic shit… at least, that’s what my anime has taught me.]_

“I’m pretty sure Rumiko _[Explanation later, all you need to know is that she is the Franks’ neighbor]_ could hear that one,” Estelle said.

“Umm, not as loud as you, Mom.”

Estelle looked back at her son with that sternness, then changed to a bright smile as she reached over and fluffed his damp hair. “You’re incorrigible, Peter.”

These moments reminded him of why he liked living. Just having someone he loved touch him filled him with just an absolute radiance.

After he finished breakfast, his sisters walked down the stairs in their high school uniforms ( _I still wonder who designed those skirts to be so short)_. Delphina still had an obvious blush on her face, its cause known if you knew her. Agathe just had a blank look on her face, as she was wont to do.

As they began eating, along with their mother, and they started talking about their plans for the day, he could stop worrying about himself right now and try to figure out what to do about the Guilmon situation. He hoped he could figure out something.

*

Takato could feel his internal clock moving slowly. It seemed like school was never going to end. Finally, the bell rang and he could go home.

Ever since he left Guilmon in his shed the night before, he was constantly worried. Was he OK? Would he stay inside? Would he go hungry? Was he lonely? He didn’t know what was going to happen next, he just hoped that it went well.

_[While he never did go to a doctor and answer this question, I do believe that Takato had some sort of pre-exiting anxiety disorder before the events of Tamers. In a letter of his written to Peter in Takato’s 21 st year, he wrote that his mindset “focused on the minutia of the negative side of life”.]_

Guilmon seemed like he could take care of the most basic needs ( _Did Digimon need to use the bathroom?_ ), but, like Peter said, he was still like a child. He didn’t know that people would be scared of him if they saw him. Even Takato was still somewhat frightened by the dinosaur, not because of who he was, but who he could become if a Digimon attacked.

He knew other Digimon could exist in the real world, even though he’d only seen one. If Guilmon could exist, why couldn’t others? The problem was that not all Digimon would be friendly, and Guilmon might lose control in battle. Still, he wouldn’t know how to react until the situation came up.

_“I like that answer, Takato-kun… I just think that helping people is a good thing.”_

Peter. For some reason, Takato felt like he could be around the man without feeling awkward or shy. He seemed to radiate a natural confidence in what he did. Even if they didn’t know each other that well, he felt like they could be a good team.

When he got home, he immediately went to his room and did all of his homework, so he wouldn’t have to waste time after dinner. As he went through math, science, and history, he noticed how… unimportant it all seemed. It seemed fake in a sense, as if someone just made all this up and decided it would become truth.

After helping his parents close shop and dinner, Takato left to go to the Ushigome park. The streets were a bit emptier than usual, as it had rained earlier. The slickness he felt walking also seemed unnatural. His world was shaking.

The park in the late afternoon seemed to present a different mood than last time. The trees seemed to dimly light up with the sun getting closer to fading. The paths flowed up and down the ground like a river.

Approaching the shed, he didn’t see any signs that anyone, besides him and Peter, had come around. He called out, softly, “Guilmon?”

He saw golden eyes appear on the other side on the shed, which was dark. The dinosaur Digimon walked up to him with a blank look on his face, but then broke out into a smile. “Takato!” Guilmon leapt at the boy, making him fall onto the ground.

“All right, Guilmon, I’m here! You can get off of me.” Guilmon was heavier than Takato thought as the Digimon got off of him. “Has Mr. Peter come by yet?”

_[In the original Japanese, Takato referred to Peter as “Frank-san”, which would mean “Mr. Frank”. However, I just think that wouldn’t show the way their relationship was at the beginning in English, so I changed it to Mr. Peter.]_

“I’m here.” Takato saw a bag being thrown near him and Guilmon. Looking inside, he saw bread, about the same amount he had brought yesterday. “They’re not stale, so I don’t know if you’ll like them or not.”

Guilmon seemed to like them anyway, considering he was eating them the same way. Peter sat down next to Takato. “So, you figure anything out?”

“I… I think so. I mean, I haven’t tried it, but I think there’s something else my Digivice can do besides tracking Guilmon. I’ll need you for this, though.”

“Alright.”

Takato was really, really worried about how this would end. Mostly likely, it would end up with Peter in a coffin. Now that wasn’t a pleasant image.

“Remember when you said you could fight a Digimon if you needed to? I wanna see if that’s true.”

Peter looked stunned for a second, as if he had totally forgotten that. _Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up._ But Peter said, “Alright, I’ll go along with this” and stood up. “Guilmon, stand up and face me.”

Guilmon looked divided between Peter and his bread. It was as if someone had asked him if he was to give up manna.

_[That’s like asking me to give up booze… I don’t know if that’s likely.]_

“You can get back to it later, Guilmon.” Takato tried placating his Digimon. It worked, as Guilmon got up and faced Peter. “Now, treat Mr. Peter like he is your enemy.”

As soon as he said that, Guilmon went towards Peter in a flash, attempting to claw him in the face. A slash like that would scar him for life.

Peter’s right hand stopped it with at least a foot of distance between the hand and his face. He barely moved; his hand went from his side to Guilmon’s attack in a second. He didn’t even look like he was using any effort as he pushed Guilmon back.

 _So Mr. Peter was right._ This was useful to know, just in case Guilmon couldn’t fight any rogue Digimon. Although, Guilmon was a Child level, who knew if Peter could an Adult, or worse, a Perfect or Ultimate? He decided to see what would in that kind of situation.

_[For those who are unaware, the strength of a Digimon is categorized this way: Baby I - > Baby II -> Child -> Adult -> Perfect -> Ultimate.]_

Takato pulled out a card from his back pocket. He hadn’t played the Digimon card game in a year or two, but he still kept his collection around just for nostalgia. It had proved useful when noticing the slot on the side of his Digivice, which was wide enough to fit a playing card, but thin enough that nothing wider than that could fit in there.

The card was a simple speed increase, nothing special, but enough for this test. He slashed it through the slot on his Digivice. Guilmon glowed as the power soaked through him. “OK, now go at Mr. Peter again.”

He was pretty damn sure Guilmon almost broke Mach 1 _[For the unaware, Mach 1 is 340.29 mps, or 761.25 mph. That’s fast for sure.]_ with that punch. Peter was sent flying back into a tree and hit it with his face before falling to the ground. When he got up, Takato noticed that there were only several small scratches to show his injuries. Over a couple of seconds, his face looked like as if nothing happened. “How’d you do that?”

“You first. How’d you get him faster?”

Takato showed both his Digivice and the card. “Any card I slide into here will give Guilmon whatever effects it has. I don’t know how, but it works.”

“But who would design that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why would it assume that you had any access to Digimon cards? It doesn’t – or at the very least, shouldn’t – know that. And from a design perspective, it seems odd. It makes it lopsided.”

_[… I may not be an artist, but I see what he’s saying.]_

By this point, Peter’s pupils started to narrow in what seemed to be confusion, so Takato felt like he had to ask, “Are you an artist?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?”

Peter paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about his words. “You’re 13, right?”

Takato thought about replying, before realizing what Peter was implying. “Oh. Does it pay well?”

Peter shrugged as he looked towards him. “I don’t need the money, it’s more just an ‘I have nothing better to do’ kind of thing, but yeah, it pays decently.”

_[By decently, Peter got paid about 500,000 yen for each of his commissions, which is around 5,000 U.S. dollars. Peter did about one or two a week, so… yeah. That’s quite “decently”.]_

As if from a bolt in the blue, the two males felt an electricity in the air, a familiar one. Guilmon had a more physical reaction, as his pupils shrank to nothing and he growled.

Takato got worried quickly. He knew – he knew – that there was a Digimon nearby. He hoped that Guilmon would not become rabid, because if he did, there would be very little to stop him.

Guilmon started running towards the other end of the park. Takato looked at Peter and asked, “Should we go after him?”

“Yeah. Firstly, because we don’t know what’s over there, and secondly… you should always stay with your partner.”

*

It took a minute or two to catch up to Guilmon, but the duo eventually arrived near the north entrance to the park. There was a multi-colored mist in that area, which made Peter stopped Takato and Guilmon before they entered.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Peter?” Takato seemed to not understand the situation fully. That mist could be one of the Digimon’s attacks and kill them as soon as they entered. _Like hell I’ll go down so easily._

“I’ll check out the situation first. I’ll call you if it’s safe enough, alright?”

Takato nodded. Peter found his shyness as a useful asset; it meant that he would be more likely to evaluate a situation before he acted. At least, that was his impression of being shy.

As he entered the fog, Peter felt his eyes start to burn and water. He kept rubbing them, but the fog still soaked in there until they got used to it. He reached a place where the fog wasn’t as present, hid behind a nearby tree, looked in front of him. He saw it.

It was kinda like a cross between a monkey and bat, and it was a fighting a green rabbit (or was that a dog?). The monkey-bat seemed to be the aggressor in the situation, since it was attacking the other Digimon, who was running circles around it and… taunting?

“Come on, fart-brain! You couldn’t hit a goddamn target if it was right in front of your dumbass!”

_[Terriermon isn’t foul-mouthed in the original Japanese, but speaks in a rude tone.]_

Huh. This was slightly unexpected. Still, he felt the situation was safe enough for Takato to enter.

“So, what do we do now?”

Takato was right there with Guilmon, who seemed amped at the chance to fight.

“Normally, I would be berating you for not doing what I said, but you took initiative, so I won’t.” He looked over at the situation again. He could see a blur on the other side; that person seemed to be the green Digimon’s Tamer, though he hadn’t heard a voice come from over there. “Takato-kun, can your Digivice scan that ugly-as-hell Digimon over there?”

“I think. Let me check.” After letting it scan for a moment, a pop-up showed the Digimon and some data about it. “Evilmon, Adult level, albeit pretty weak. He seems mainly concerned with fighting and looking good.”

Peter started formulating a plan. He got it. “I think Guilmon can handle this guy without any power-ups. Right, Guilmon?” He agreed. “Alright, then go get him.”

Just like before, Guilmon was off like a flash towards the Evilmon. It was still chasing the rabbit(dog?), who turned out to have quite the foul mouth. Guilmon reached up to the evil Digimon and slashed across its body.

“Ow! What was that for, ya mook?”

Fire started to form around Guilmon’s mouth. “ **Fireball!** ” _[I decided to have a Digimon’s attacks in bold just so the difference is clear.]_ The fireball hit the Evilmon in its chest and knocked it back several feet. It started to get up before Guilmon put his foot on him, rendering him motionless.

“Come on! Let me go, you bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll-“

He didn’t get the chance to finish that sentence. Guilmon’s claws themselves began to ignite and catch fire. _So his element is fire. I wonder what the other one’s is. Maybe earth or wind? Those ears would be helpful in flying._

“ **Fire Rock Breaker!** ” The Evilmon screamed as its body was filled with fire. It seemed to enter a process of disintegration, as the Digimon’s data broke apart until the screams stopped. The data was then absorbed by Guilmon and the fog began to disperse.

_What would Guilmon use that data for? To get stronger?_

The green Digimon didn’t seem to like what just happened and stomped towards Guilmon. Or, at least, as much as what could pass for a plush toy could stomp.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? That was my kill! Why couldn’t you just stay back and-“

“Terriermon!”

The Tamer got close enough that Peter could see what he looked like. He seemed to be around Takato’s age (or Takato’s biological age) and looked like he had some Chinese in him. He looked somewhat upset with his Digimon, but not in a judgmental way. It was more like… like the way he looked at his sisters when they did something wrong as kids.

_Disappointment. That’s the word._

“You were just running around! How were you ever going to defeat him?”

“He was going to get tired eventually. Then… Wham! Bam! (the Digimon was using somewhat unimpressive kung-fu moves) He would’ve been out of here.”

“I don’t think there’s much a tiny-ass rabbit like you could have done.” Peter and Takato had been walking up to the group since the battle had ended. Peter felt like he was going to see more of the pair, so he might as well start things off on the right foot.

Terriermon looked at him sternly. Sternly. _Right._ “I’m not a rabbit, you retard! A terrier is not a rabbit, it’s a dog! If you’re going to insult me, at least get it right!”

He couldn’t tell what his deal has, if he just liked to argue with people or if he had an ego problem. Anyway, introductions were in order.

“So, you’re Terriermon, but who’s your Tamer?”

It seemed like the Chinese boy just noticed that the two of them were here and bowed to them. “Sorry about my partner, he’s a bit… ill-tempered. My name’s Jianliang Lee.”

“I’m Peter Frank, and this is Takato Matsuda. He’s the Tamer over here. I’m just an interested observer.”

Lee looked confused. “What does that mean?”

Peter shrugged. Why did everything need a further explanation? “Just like I said, I’m someone who’s interested in whatever’s going on around here. And you look you could provide us some answers. But I think we should move elsewhere for this.”

By this time, the fog has dissipated completely, which left the group out in the open. They decide to move back towards Guilmon’s shed. Along the way, the questions started.

“How long have you been a Tamer?”

“Two months.”

“How’d you get Terriermon?”

“I was playing the video game, the one for the PC. I was playing as Terriermon, roaming around the Digital World. Eventually, he stopped obeying any commands I entered and started looking at me.” Lee chose this moment to pause and look up at Terriermon, who was currently on his head. “After a while, he came out of my computer and appeared in the real world, along with this.” He held up his Digivice, which was the same as Takato’s, except the ring around the center screen was green instead of red.

“How often does that fog appear?”

“Once or twice a week. The Digivice tells me when they appear and their location relative to me.”

Now some of the pieces were coming together for Peter. The Digital World did exist (though the only kind of transportation was from there to here, and he didn’t know how that worked) and other Digimon could – and did – exist in this world. Of course, he still had a hundred questions that he felt Lee didn’t know the answers to.

Shit. This was going to eat at him for a while. He could at least try to answer one.

“Lee-kun, could you use your Digivice to scan Guilmon?”

“Sure.” Lee held his Digivice towards Guilmon. Just as before, a picture of the Digimon came up, though there was nothing else along with it. “Huh. There’s no data about him. How did you get him, Matsuda-kun?”

“He was based off one of my drawings.”

Lee looked up in shock and confusion. “What.”

“I don’t know how it happened, it just did.”

“Well,” Peter felt like he had a solution, “you got Guilmon from your drawings. And Lee-kun got Terriermon from the video game. Maybe it needs some sort of… physical conduit to make the Digimon appear in the real world.”

“OK then… but why us?”

Peter tried to reply, but didn’t. He had no idea why the Digivices chose whoever they did, and he couldn’t even figure out why they appeared. In the end, he could only just shrug.

*

“Mr. Yamaki, the Wild One has disappeared. It seems the other Digimon was the cause of it.”

“I see.” The man flicked his empty cigarette lighter back and forth. The motion helped him calm down, even without any nicotine in the air. “The Digimon that appeared yesterday, is it there?”

“Let me check, sir. It appears so. Wait… the Digimon from yesterday, it has… some sort of residual data from the Wild One.”

Yamaki stood up towards the two technicians on the tower. “Check the other Digimon, the one designated ‘Terriermon’.”

One of them typed on her keyboard until the information came up. “The Digimon marked as ‘Terriermon’ has residual data from other Wild Ones as well, sir.”

Yamaki sat down and started flicking his lighter again. Whatever was going on, he wanted the answers ASAP. He got the feeling that if he didn’t, Shinjuku could turn into a wasteland.

_[Click, click.]_


	3. Evolution

Evolution

It was a bit cloudy outside, but the news didn’t say that there would be any rain. _Of course, they seem to have a tendency to be wrong. Dumbasses._

Takato was a bit shocked by his own language as he was sweeping the front of the bakery. He rarely used anything harsher than damn or hell beforehand. _[Seriously? Those aren’t even that bad, and he’s talking about it like it’s shit or fuck.]_ Of course, a lot of things had changed since he found that Digivice.

He didn’t see Peter yesterday (according to him, he had to take care of some business with his stepfather), but he did have a conversation with Lee in the Ushigome park. They discussed Tamer duties, and… Wait, where did “Tamer” come from? The first time he ever heard it was when Peter referred to him as Guilmon’s Tamer. Where the hell did Peter come up with that term? He’d try to find an English-to-Japanese dictionary sooner or later.

Peter seemed to be hiding many things about himself. Sure, he had a right to a private life, but he seemed like the kind of man who had something happen to him that made him… Takato couldn’t think of the word, but it would be along the lines of, “He strips away his words for reasons.” Whatever they were, they would come when Peter was ready to talk about it.

_[Takato’s questioning about Peter’s intentions was never explicitly stated in any official statements, but it is clear whenever he talks about the early days of April.]_

Lee, on the other hand, seemed like a more open kind of guy. During the talk, Lee talked about his background. His father emigrated from China back in the ‘80s and worked as a computer engineer, focusing on hardware-software integration. He had two older siblings and a younger sister. He was a second-year student at a junior high in Bunkyo. He could speak Japanese, English, and Chinese. He wanted to go to an American university and get a job involving computers, though he didn’t know what. He acted like a guy who was honest to everyone. His bond between him and Terriermon was like that of two brothers. Terriermon could be a nuisance most of the time, but he was a lot of fun to be around.

The bond between him and Guilmon, on the other hand… he couldn’t tell. At times, it seemed like he was a pet. Guilmon followed Takato’s every word and saw him as sort of a… “godly” sounded wrong, but that was the best way to describe it. At the same time, Takato could see Guilmon as like as a younger brother. He wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to go; he just wondered what their relationship would ultimately become.

“Takato! If you’re done sweeping the front, I need help with the bread!”

“OK, Dad! Give me a moment!”

*

Lee liked going on the train. Watching the people go by and come on the car was very relaxing. It gave him a chance to think when something unexpected happened. This was one of those times.

Up until the other day, he thought he was the only Tamer. He protected Shinjuku with the help of his partner. But then he met Takato and Peter. The fact that not only was there another Tamer, but an unaffiliated person who was aware of Digimon existing was a dramatic change to the whole situation. On the positive side, a second Tamer would make things easier, as their duties could be split, or in the case of hard opponents, they could combine their skills. Peter seemed to be intelligent in his own right, though more of a social nature; still, his efforts would be well-appreciated. He couldn’t see any negative parts resulting from this, but he would have to wait to see.

Of course, it is somewhat hard to concentrate when there was a goddamn rabbit on your head.

Terriermon didn’t like to stay in the apartment. His younger sister would always dress him up, and Terriermon couldn’t do anything, considering that he was supposed to be a stuffed animal. He had made it clear several times that, quote, “like hell [he] would ever do something as demeaning as that again.” So, Terriermon usually just hanged out on Lee’s head. If anyone asked, he would just say it was for maintaining perfect balance. Tokyo was a weird enough city for people to accept something like that.

As such, he finally decided where he wanted to go: the Ushigome park where Guilmon was. He wanted to see how Guilmon was treated and what he remembered about the Digital World, if anything. Terriermon didn’t remember anything before he met Lee, so Lee theorized that Digimon might not remember anything about the Digital World once they crossed over. The possibility of the Digital World not existing at all seemed impossible; the Digimon had to come from somewhere.

The Oedo train arrived at the Ushigome-Kagurazaka station. _[To explain his travels, Lee took the train to the Daimon station in Minato ward, hanged there for a while, then took the Oedo line back to Ushigome-Kagurazaka.]_ As Lee exited, he hoped that this visit would some questions for him. The aggravation from a lack of answers was starting to bother him.

*

Peter felt coming from his house, that electricity flowing through his body. It was right after his sisters came home, so he just said he was going to hang out with some friends from Kiriyama Co. He ran over towards the Ushigome park, hoping that either Takato or Lee were over there.

He could see the fog as he reached the park; he couldn’t see anyone else in there and the door to Guilmon’s shed was open. _So, Takato was here… unless Guilmon let himself out._

Shit. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it. _[I understand what he means by that feeling. It’s almost like you can see the future, and it’s a bad scenario.]_ He ran over to the side of the park that had the fog, which was in a more wooded area than last time.

By the time he got there, he had put on some sunglasses he got before he left the house. He wanted to prevent that eye burning sensation from before, and this was the best thing he had. When he walked in, he could see Takato and Guilmon immediately. “Hey, what the hell’s going on?”

“Terriermon’s in there, fighting a Digimon.”

“What kind?”

“Umm, let me double-check.” Takato got out his Digivice and pulled the data. “A Centalmon, Adult level. It’s fairly strong, with its fierce legs and arm cannon.”

“… The hell kind of centaur has an arm cannon?”

“What is a centaur, anyway?”

“It’s a creature from Greek mythology, half man, half horse. They’re pretty chill and wise, though they can be powerful if pissed off.” Peter just then realized that Guilmon was still next to them. “Why isn’t Guilmon helping?”

“Lee-kun said that Terriermon wanted to do this on his own. Honestly, I’m worried about him.”

“A Child against an Adult? Yeah, like hell that’s going to-“

A tree near him was suddenly impacted by a violently thrown object. Terriermon sorta flopped to the ground, like a deflated ball. Peter shoved the two next to him near the ground. He saw Lee run over to his partner. He wanted to scream at the boy, tell him to get the hell out of here, but he was afraid that the enemy would come and kill them all. Then, he saw it.

It was about 7 feet tall, mainly brown, and looked angry, like it wanted everything dead in its sights. It pointed its arm cannon at the injured Digimon and his partner. “ **Hunting-** “

_No._ This wasn’t going to happen. No one would die today. No. No. No. No. No. No.No.No.No.Nononononononononono  _[I understand that feeling of wanting so hard to cause the opposite of something happening… if that makes sense.]_

“NO!” He felt something come out of him, like… well, not to be crude, but like he was cumming. It was that same kind of force and electricity flowing from his center and out of his skin.

“ **-Cannon!** ” Centalmon finished announcing his attack and an orb of energy flew out of his arm. However, it was stopped by some sort of energy field emanating from Terriermon.

“ **Terriermon, evolve!** ” Peter saw the data flowing into the Digimon’s body. It changed and shifted, contorting until some part fit right. As soon as the process was finished, the area exploded with a shockwave, knocking them back a foot or two. As soon as he could get up, Peter looked at Terriermon’s new form.

Before, Terriermon barely came up to Guilmon’s waist; now, he was as tall as the dinosaur. He gained pants out of nowhere _[“Hammerspace” I believe they call it]_ , and his arms had Gatling guns attached to them.

The evolved rabbit pointed his arm at Centalmon and fired. “ **Gatling Arm!** ” The gun started spinning as it pelted the centaur with hundreds of bullets. It started jerking around, like it was a seizure. Eventually, the gun stopped as Centalmon seemed to be done for. However, its head rose and it began to charge with a deep roar.

“ **Gatling Arm!** ” Once again, the bullets started flying from his arms. Everything has its limits, and Centalmon’s was found soon. After this second barrage, it finally fell to the ground and dissolved into loose data, which Terriermon (or whatever he was called now) absorbed into his body.

 _This is a pleasant surprise._ “Well,” Peter found the words now able to come out of his mouth, “that ended well.”

He started hearing a laughter coming from the rabbit. It sounded… wrong.

“ **Gatling Arm!** ” He aimed at the trees and fired, knocking them down one by one, all the while still laughing in that demented way.

“Terriermon! What are you doing?”

Lee shouldn’t have yelled that, as Terriermon pointed his arms at his Tamer. “ **Gatling Arm!** ”

Before the bullets hit him, Peter pulled Lee back into the bushes that the rest were hiding him.

Takato was the first to talk over the bullets and laughter. “What should we do? I mean, if he continues, someone will notice, but I don’t want to send Guilmon out. Centalmon couldn’t defeat him, so how could he? No offense, Guilmon.”

“None taken, Takato.” The Child seemed to understand vernacular quickly.

Takato was right, though. Someone would eventually notice the rampage and blow the cover. How should they do this…

_I don’t want to use it, but I feel that may be necessary…_

“Lee-kun, pull up his information.”

Lee was still somewhat out of it, looking at his partner, so it took him a moment to respond. “OK. Galgomon, Adult level. His guns are his major weapons, and his offense is quite high for his level, but his defense is somewhat low.”

“Alright. I can take of that.”

Lee looked shocked at Peter’s statement. “Are you crazy?! You’ll get yourself killed!”

“Dying? On a day like this? That’s a load of shit. _[f/sn reference, in case no one gets it.]_ I can take him. Just give a minute.”

He really, really hoped he was doing that smart thing. Because the little voice in his head was saying things, trying to warn him-

_Shut the hell up, alright? I got this, me, ok, just, just, JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR ONE GODDAMN MINUTE! OK?_

Peter walked out of the bushes and looked towards Galgomon. “Hey, shithead, want a moving target? I’m right over here.”

The rabbit turned to Peter and pointed his guns at him. “ **Gatling Arm!** ” The bullets started flying towards him.

_All right, Peter, you got this. Just calm down and… form your will._

His perception of time began to slow around him, and he could the trail of each bullet, like _The Matrix._ He moved out of the way, and the bullets hit the tree behind him.

He couldn’t just be a pussy and dodge forever; he needed a weapon. But, he didn’t want to harm Galgomon too much; Lee might get a bit pissy at that. He just had to use his fists and legs. _Alright, I can do that._

His first attack was a leg sweep, which knocked the berserk rabbit on his back and stunned him. Before he could recover, Peter punched him in the gut, which caused Galgomon to yell in pain. He started to get up, but fell down.

“Hey, it’s all right, buddy. You’ll be fine soon. Just go to sleep.”

His attacks towards Centalmon, the trees, and Peter caught up with him and he fainted. Peter could see data flowing out of Galgomon’s body.

“Is… is he OK?” Peter looked behind him. The rest of the group had come out of hiding.

“He should be. Just give him some time, he’ll be back to normal.”

“How’d you do that?”

Peter was trying to think of the best way to explain it. “I don’t know, to be honest. I’ve be able to do stuff like that since I was a kid. Let’s just say me and my siblings weren’t bulled often.”

Takato and Lee nodded. Peter could tell they wouldn’t want to piss him off.

“Hey, it’s not like I’m going to bite your head off or anything like that.”

*

They had decided to rest at the front of Guilmon’s shed before they split up. By this time, Galgomon had reverted to Terriermon.

Takato was still confused over the whole situation. Not by Terriermon evolving (Digimon evolving was a natural thing, and artificial evolution happened all the time in the anime), but by Peter. What was his deal? He gets himself involved with a dangerous situation that he has no direct connection with, and he’s super-strong and can outrun bullets fired by someone with superpowers. There was something more to him than met the eye.

Lee and Terriermon left first, which just left Peter, Guilmon, and himself. He felt comfortable to start talking, but then he began thinking. Peter didn’t initially tell either one of them about his abilities. Maybe he’d rather not go into it. He decided to go with a safer topic.

“Do… do you think Guilmon would go rabid if he evolves?”

Peter shrugged. “Who knows? It might be different with each Digimon. It might be the same. We won’t know until he evolves.”

“Hey, what did cause Terriermon’s evolution?”

Peter paused for a moment. “I don’t know.”

 _Why’d he pause?_ He must have something to do with it. But he wouldn’t push it. No, that wouldn’t feel right this early.

“Well, I gotta go.” Peter stood up. “See ya later.”

“See ya.” Peter walked out of the park.

“Don’t worry, Takato.” Guilmon walked towards him. “I won’t hurt you. You’re my friend.”

“Thanks, Guilmon.”

_[Sometimes, our assurances are just platitudes.]_


	4. Business

Business

Catch the Oedo at Ushigome-Kagurazaka, get off at Ueno-Okachimachi, transfer to the Ginza line, and get off at Station G-09, or the Ginza station. This was Peter’s route whenever he had to make a delivery to his boss.

The Ginza station always felt crowded; there were so many teenagers skipping school, housewives getting something to buy, or salarymen getting the right piece of jewelry when their spouses found all those charges to massage parlors.

Mr. Marcus, his boss, worked in a bookstore a couple blocks away from the station. He saw him immediately. Mr. Marcus was older – not old, old, but about 50-ish – and always dressed in smart casual fashion.

_[If you’re unfamiliar with the term, just imagine him in a polo and dress slacks.]_

“Mr. Marcus.” Peter called out to him. He turned around and broke in a smile.

“Ah! Peter, it’s nice to see you. I assume you finished it?”

“I didn’t take me that long. Something this short only takes about two days.”

“Alright, you can give it to me in the back.”

_Agreed. Something like this should not be seen in public. At all._

As soon as they got into the storeroom, Peter handed the doujinshi to Mr. Marcus.

“I assumed you fulfilled all the requirements.”

“The client asked for lesbian twincest. _[-.- … Where do I get a copy?]_ He’s far from the first. I got it down.”

“Well, then,” Mr. Marcus took out his checkbook at this point, “here is your payment. I’ll call in your next assignment when it comes in.”

“Thanks. Have a good day.”

“You too, Peter.”

He walked out of the bookstore, check in his pocket. He looked around at all the people walking. _They’re probably doing something more interesting than I am right now_.

He had about an hour or two to kill before he had to meet Yuki for lunch. He’d probably just browse, just like usual. He could hear some music coming from a speaker somewhere:

_You'll flow down her river_

_She'll ask you and you'll give her_

_Lips like sugar_

_Sugar kisses_

_Lips like sugar_

_Sugar kisses_

_[The lyrics come from the chorus of the 1987 alternative song “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo & The Bunnymen.]_

*

“… so you just move the x over there, and you have it. It’s pretty simple, actually.”

“Well, then, I’m sorry I’m such an idiot, Lee-kun.”

Takato had found it easier to talk to his fellow Tamer. Peter seemed like a nice guy, but he was too much of an enigma to interact with effectively, besides he was older than him. _[That’s like me saying a 25-year-old is older than me; he is older, but not old older.]_ Lee, on the other hand, was smart, friendly, and open with everyone.

“I didn’t mean that, Matsuda-kun.”

“It’s alright. I was just joking.”

Lee chuckled a bit at that, then looked surprised.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is… is that Peter?”

Takato looked towards Lee’s direction. He was looking at a café. Siting at a table outside were two men: a 30-something man dressed in a business suit, and someone with their back towards them, but had a distinctive hair color.

_[Purple? Blue? Green?]_

“Who else do you know that has hair colored red, orange, and yellow? _[How conventional.]_ Who’s the man with him?”

Lee looked at him with a confused face. “You don’t know who that is?”

“What, is he a… a movie star or something?”

_[… No.]_

“That’s Yuki Kiriyama, head of the Kiriyama Corporation.”

At the very least, the name was familiar. The Kiriyama Corporation had some of the highest-grossing companies in the world under it, and Yuki Kiriyama was its CEO. One of the wealthiest men in the world, he was often seen at charity events, giving his money to AIDS research, hospitals, and foundations that prevented child abuse. While his public life was well-documented, his private life was a well-kept secret. At one point, he was married to some model, but they divorced and it was assumed he had been a bachelor since then.

“Maybe Mr. Kiriyama is his boss.”

“Possibly. Let’s go see.”

The two of them walked towards them. Takato called out to his acquaintance. “Mr. Peter?”

It was him, since it was his face that turned around to greet them. “Ah! Takato-kun, Lee-kun! It’s nice to see you.”

“You too.” He started getting nervous. Kiriyama seemed more like a Yakuza boss than a CEO of an established business empire. He might break his kneecaps at some point.

_[In the original Japanese, Takato thought that Yuki would cut off his finger, but that tradition isn’t as well known in the English language as is the practice of kneecap-breaking.]_

“Relax, boys.” Kiriyama took off his sunglasses, which were a major part of the intimidating nature, and showed his light blue eyes. “If you’re friends with Peter, I see no reason why you can’t sit down.”

“OK, Mr. Kiriyama.” Both of the boys sat down.

“It’s alright. You can call me Yuki. Peter, where’d the hell you find two pussies to hang out with you?”

“Shut the fuck up, Yuki.”

There was a silence for a moment. Lee decided to start the conversation.

“So, you didn’t tell me you worked for the Kiriyama Corporation.”

“Yeah. I’m actually the head of one of its departments.”

“Really? Which one?”

“The Department of Go Fuck Yourself.”

…

“What?”

Yuki sighed, then began to speak. “Peter doesn’t work for me. I’m his stepfather.”

“Yeah, but when’s the last time you acted like a father, shithead?”

“I got you into that club when you were 19.”

Peter hemmed and hawed, then said, “OK, you’re right there.”

 _Stepfather? He sure doesn’t treat him like one. I want to know more._ “So, how did Mr. Kiriyama become your stepfather?”

The two of them looked at Takato, as if they forgot about him. “I’ll start. My biological father died when I was 10. He fell off a bridge. It was just me, my mother, and my sisters.”

_Fell off a bridge? Like an accident, or intentional? But there’s something more important…_

“Sisters? You never told us you had any sisters.”

“I said I had siblings yesterday.”

Takato had forgotten about that. “Oh, right.”

“To make things clear, I have two younger sisters. They’re about 5 years younger than me, and they’re twins.”

“What are their names?”

“Delphina and Agathe.”

The two boys looked at each other. “What kind of names are those?”

“They’re French. _[Leon’s been bothering me about what they mean, so I guess this is just as much for him as it is for anyone else; Delphina means “of Delphi”, but could also mean “dolphin”, and Agathe is the French form of the name Agatha, like Christie.]_ Anyway, when my father died, we didn’t have any source of income. He was the only one working; my mom stayed at home to take care of us. We had enough to last us for a while, but we were worried. Then, a couple weeks after the funeral, my mother was contacted by a high school friend. She had gotten pregnant and was leaving her job and had heard that my mother needed help, so she was wondering if she would want it? _[Another question I’ve seen people around me have is why Estelle’s friend left her job, rather than just go on maternity leave. In Japan, it’s typical for a pregnant woman to quit her job and stay home while her man works.]_ My mother hadn’t worked since she was pregnant with me, so this was her best chance.”

“What was the job?”

“It was as a secretary for the bastard over here.” Peter indicated at Yuki.

“So, then, how’d he marry her?”

Peter laughed for a bit until he responded. “I asked him once what first attracted him to her, and he said…”

“She has nice tits.” _[‘Tis true.]_ Yuki interrupted Peter. “Which is true, I’m not going to lie. But, the real reason was that she was nice. She treated everyone politely, but she wasn’t weak either. When a rival of mine tried to get into my office, she tossed his ass to the ground and told him to leave before she called security. I quickly fell in love with her, but I didn’t know how to approach her. I was a recent divorcee, so I just wanted to make sure that this was going to go somewhere.”

“So, what happened?”

Yuki looked at Peter, as if he wanted him to continue. Takato could see it now, the bond these two men had. Despite the insults, they cared about each other deeply.

“About 2 months after my mother started working for Yuki, he came to me in the Ushigome park. I liked to draw birds in there. He introduced himself, but I could tell that he was nervous. He told me that he wanted to date my mother and he wanted to know what she was like: what kind of food she liked, her hobbies and interests, and where she liked to do. I was scared to tell him anything, though.”

“Why?”

“I thought he was going to force my mother to go out with him and fire her if she disagreed. He convinced me that wasn’t his intent, though.”

“So, what happened next?”

“Well, they start going out. My mother was very nervous, but she quickly fell in love with him. 6 months after that, we move from our apartment to his house in Kagurazaka. A year after my father’s death, they’re married and happier than ever.”

“Your father… you don’t seem to be too kind of him.”

“He was distant. More distant than a father normally is. … I don’t like to talk about him much.”

Takato could tell when to back off, but he still wanted to know. “Alright, I’ll leave it for now.”

“OK.”

The conversation continued on for a couple of minutes, until Yuki said that he had to go back to the office, and it was nice to meet them.

“So,” Peter asked after his stepfather left, “it’s 1 p.m. on a Friday. Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“It got cancelled due to a gas leak.” “Mine ended early for teacher something-or-other.”

“Alright, then.” Peter stood up. “Well, I gotta go someplace, but I’ll see you around, alright?”

Takato looked up to him. This man seemed so much more mysterious now more than ever, but he was still willing to trust him. _Why?_ “Yeah, see you around, Mr. Peter.”

After he left, the two boys started talking.

“Is it just me, or was Mr. Peter deliberately hiding something?”

“Whatever it is, he’ll tell us in his own time. We shouldn’t pressure him.”

“Alright, then.”

*

“Mai, any calls come in while I was out?”

“None, Mr. Kiriyama.”

“When’s my next meeting?”

“The CFO wants to talk with you in 15 minutes, sir.”

“Thank you, Mai.”

Yuki stepped into his office, loosening his tie. His morning had been somewhat rough. The meeting between him and a group of executives from chemical companies he owned had nearly dissolved into a fistfight. Who knew that formulas to explosives would prove so… explosive?

He looked out of the window that faced the street. He was reminded of a quote from an old American film: “Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever?”

_[The quote is from the 1949 film noir classic, “The Third Man.”]_

He could make every single dot disappear if he wanted to. Although it started many years ago as a furniture factory, the Kiriyama Corporation had grown into the biggest company in Japan and one of the biggest in the world. Its subsidiaries offered services like television, medicine, political advertising, plastics, construction, etc, etc. But that didn’t come easy.

From birth, his destiny was assured: to eventually take over from his father and rule with an iron fist. He had to take that earlier than expected when his father died of a heart attack, but even at 19, he showed he could forge his own path with the materials given to him. He found someone that, in his eyes, would make for a good mate. While that relationship eventually broke up, they remained good friends, and he loved his daughter very much. Still, there was hardly anything in him that wasn’t focused on improving the Kiriyama legacy.

Estelle, though… he felt something about her when they first met.

_A small fall wind was flowing around the building. He was looking at some papers that had been sent from his HR department. Employees leaving, complaints, things like that. Nothing of particular interest._

_“Mr. Kiriyama, your new secretary is here.”_

_“Thank you, Yumiko. Bring her in.”_

_The door opened, but he didn’t look up immediately. He wanted to look the files one more time._

_“So, then, Miss…”_

_He couldn’t feel this way. Impossible. He shouldn’t. His voice shouldn’t be stuck in his throat._

_The woman in front of him was older, almost a decade. Still, she had much natural beauty left. Her blonde hair was neatly tied into a bun, and the light seemed to make it glow across the room. Her whole body was curvy, sensual, but still maintaining some sense of decency, not parading it out for everyone to see. She was beautiful._

_“Miss Frank, correct?”_

_“Yes, Estelle Frank.”_

_“And you’re here for the position of being my secretary, correct?”_

_“Yes, Mr. Kiriyama.”_

_“I haven’t seen your resume yet.”_

_“I don’t really have much of one. My only job was working at a bookstore from when I started college to two years after I graduated.”_

_“Why only one job?”_

_“I started dating a man I met there. When I became pregnant with my son, he said that I should stay home and take care of our children.”_

_“Ah, yes, your husband. Yumiko told about what happened. I am sorry.”_

_She looked off to the side._ Probably shouldn’t mention it.

_He was trying to remember the name of her husband, what was it… Leon. Leon Frank. He was the manager of a bank in Shibuya. Yuki had met him several times. He didn’t particularly like him, but he never mentioned having a wife and child._

_“How many children do you have?”_

_“Three. My son, Peter, and my two daughters, Delphina and Agathe.”_

_“Do you have someone to take of them while you’re working?”_

_“Yes. My neighbor said she’s willing to look after them.”_

_Yuki sighed for a moment. He could tell she cared about her children more than anyone else in the world, and would make any sacrifice to provide for them._

_“You’ll be working 8 to 5 almost every day, having to deal with many stressful situations. Are you willing to do that?”_

_She looked at him with her eyes, which seemed to pierce through him, but surround him with warmth at the same time. “I can handle a lot of things, Mr. Kiriyama. I’m sure a belligerent lawyer or a pissed-off girlfriend won’t bother me.”_

He gave her the job immediately. And it paid off for both of them.

She acclimated immediately to the stress of her job and became a very popular person in Kiriyama HQ, being seen as an almost maternal figure. Yuki saw her as something different. He couldn’t stop staring at her every time she brought something to him; her perky ass as she bended over, her firm breasts as he looked over her work. He didn’t know why, but he found her very attractive.

He wanted to be with her, he was sure of it. She was the only employee who was unafraid to call him out on any of his bullshit. She was also very nice, even staying after hours to help with unexpected problems. She took an interest in him and his daughter, often taking her to various sights around town when her mother or grandmother were busy. She was perfect.

There was only one problem, though: he hadn’t the slightest goddamn clue how to ask her out. His marriage to Rumiko had more or less happened because of their daughter. He wanted to do things right. So he had to find as much as he could know about her.

He knew that her son liked to draw in the park. He decided to talk with him and find out what she liked. While in hindsight that was a bad decision, it did show him what he would have to deal with joining the Frank household.

Peter told him that Estelle liked Thai food a lot. He made a reservation at a five-star restaurant that served Thai food and hoped everything went well.

_She was 5 minutes late. It was nothing to worry about, except Estelle was never late. She had always arrived to work before him. She was keen on being right on time. What could have-_

_“Sorry I’m late, Mr. Kiriyama.”_

_She was wearing a form-fitting blue-blouse, dress slacks, and black flats. Everything seemed to work on her._

_“It’s OK. And outside of the office, you can call me Yuki.”_

_She looked confused, and looked around, as if she would find some sort of hidden camera. “I thought this was a business dinner.”_

_“It’s not. Well, it could be if you wanted it to be.”_

_“Did you intend this to be a date?”_

_Yuki felt his face heating up a bit. She was teasing him, having fun with his mind. He kinda liked it. “Yeah… yeah, I did.”_

_“Alright, then. I’m OK with that if it’s you.”_

_The two of them talked about various things, which eventually led to their children._

_“So, have any of them ever told you what they want to be when they grow up?”_

_“Well, Peter wants to an artist of some kind, Delphina changes her mind every day, and Agathe… I believe she wants to be an author.”_

_A hesitance. “Is something wrong?” He could see, she might start crying soon._

_“I’m worried about her. She rarely talks to me, no matter how hard I try; she usually communicates through Peter or her sister. She doesn’t talk to anyone at school at all. And Delphina’s told me kids in their class are bullying her.”_

_He felt an impulse to do something, to help her. He put his hand on top of hers. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”_

_She looked up at him. He felt her warmth, that sweet warmth._

_“What about Ruki? What does she want to be?”_

_He had to be careful when to speak; he didn’t want to stutter. “I… I haven’t talked to her in a while.”_

_Her hand moved up over his. “She still loves you, even if you’re not there.”_

_“I know.”_ I tell myself that all the time.

_Their dinner date continued on nicely. When they got done, he offered to drive her home, but she preferred walking. “I like the way the snow is falling tonight.”_

_At first, there was something of a distance between them. There was still an awkwardness between them. He wanted to break it so badly, show her that he cared. Slowly, he put his arm through hers. She looked at him in confusion, before seeing what he wanted and leaning closer to him._

_“Leon never took me out like this. He would only do it if he felt I was mad at him.”_

_“Were you?”_

_“… Not often. Leon may have been distant, Yuki, but he still cared about me.”_

_They eventually reached her apartment building._

_“Thank you for going out with me, Estelle, even if you didn’t entirely know it.”_

_She looked at him, and he saw that her eyes were as big as could be. “Yuki, I… I know that I may be… lower than you, but I just want to say that… you’re not as cold as your name says. There’s a lot underneath you.”_

_She kissed him. It was quick, on the cheek, but it still meant something._

_“I hope we can do this again.”_

_He watched her go inside. “Me too.”_

They went out once a week after that. Restaurants, the theatre, concerts, whatever Estelle wanted to do. As they got closer, they found out more about each other.

Estelle was smart. Not just book smart; it was easy for her to pick up concepts and apply them to her everyday life and teach them to her children. She could’ve been a university professor; why she chose to become a housewife puzzled him. She was also wise and constantly thought about various philosophical concepts. They would spend time debating ideas and decisions and what-nots and should-haves.

Yuki, for himself, found the ice that existed in him slowly melting. He grew more compassionate in his life and in his business decisions. His workers noticed this changed – and loved it. They also noticed who caused it and encouraged their relationship in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

About three months after they started dating, Valentine’s Day came up. Normally, she would’ve given a gift to him, but he wanted to get something special for her.

_It was a bit hard to knock on her door, considering his left hand was holding a large bouquet of carnations and the right had a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates. Still, he was able to manage it._

_He heard steps coming to the door, then it stopped, as if the person on the other side was looking through the peephole. Then the door opened to reveal a young boy._

_“Mr. Kiriyama, what are you doing here?”_

_“I have some gifts for your mother. Is she here?”_

_“Yeah. Give a moment.”_

_Yuki went into his girlfriend’s apartment. It was a bit smaller than he was expecting; the kitchen, dining room, and living room was basically one room, and there was only one hallway, which he guessed went to the bedrooms and bathroom._

_Peter walked over to his mother’s bedroom and knocked. “Mom, Mr. Kiriyama’s here.”_

_The door opened quickly, with Peter moving out of the way. Even with unkempt hair, a low-cut shirt, and shorts, she still had an aura of elegance._

_“Yuki, what are you doing here?”_

_“I got you something. Happy Valentine’s Day, Estelle.”_

_She started to tear up a bit. “You-you didn’t have to.”_

_“I know. But I wanted to.”_

_She hugged him and held him close. He returned it._

_“Thank you, Yuki. I’ll just put these in my room.” She went back, leaving him with Peter, and two watchers._

_“I can see you over there,” he said in a playful tone. Two young girls walked out, both with red hair. The one of the left had hers in twintails, while the other one kept hers boyishly short._

_“Let me guess… you are Delphina,” he pointed to the left girl, “and you are Agathe.”_

_“Yeah! But, who are you?” Delphina seemed very curious about him, while Agathe was more ambivalent._

_“My name’s Yuki. Your mother-“”Are you Mommy’s boyfriend?”_

_“Yeah. Yeah I am.”_

_“Wow! I thought you would’ve been older.”_

_He scratched the back of his head._ Not the first time I’ve heard that. _“Yeah. I’m 25.”_

_Agathe spoke up for the first time. “Are you and Mommy going to get married?”_

_That question was one he had been asking himself. He loved Estelle with every fiber in his body, but marriage? He wasn’t entirely sure. “Maybe. We’ll see.”_

_Estelle came out at this point, with her hair tied up in that bun of hers._

_“Mommy, can Mr. Yuki stay over for dinner?”_

_“I don’t think so, sweetie. Yuki is busy with work a lot, and-“_

_“That can wait. I can stay and have dinner here.”_

_Estelle looked a bit surprised. “Are you sure?”_

_“Of course. I’d like to spend time with you and your family, if that is acceptable.”_

_She looked like she was thinking about it for a moment, before closing her eyes and smiling. “OK, I’ll set an extra plate on the table.”_

_As Delphina leapt to hug Yuki, he noticed the look in Peter’s eyes. He’d been standing back the whole time. He looked… afraid, almost._

He came by for dinner often, and took the children around the city. Once or twice, he took them to Rumiko’s house. While the girls were somewhat confused about his relationship with his ex-wife, they enjoyed playing with Ruki.

Eventually, he proposed to Estelle that they move into his house. Her apartment seemed a bit too small, considering all of the children had to share one bedroom. She was unsure at first (she felt very connected to the place) but agreed with him eventually. The reactions from the children were expected: Delphina was excited, Peter just nodded, and Agathe had no visible reaction.

_The house looked clean on the outside. Bright white, windows that allowed the light to shine through. It seemed somewhat out-of-place in Kagurazaka, but it looked nice._

_The inside was big. Their entire apartment could’ve fit in the kitchen and dining room, and the upstairs had three bedrooms._

_“Wow! It’s really big, Mr. Yuki.”_

_“Yeah, it is. I like a lot of space. It helps me think.”_

_The Franks only brought their clothing and various precious items from their apartment, so moving in took a short amount of time._

_“Mr. Yuki, can we go over and play with Ruki?”_

_“I’d say that’s OK, but what does your mother think?”_

_“Can we, Mommy?”_

_She sighed. Delphina could be hard to argue with if you looked at that face of hers. “Alright, but if one of us calls you two back, you have to come, OK?”_

_“OK! Come on, Agathe, let’s go!”_

_After the two left the house, Yuki looked over to see Peter siting on the couch in the living room._

_“What do you think about your new home, Peter?”_

_“… It’s big.”_

_“Yeah… it is.”_

_Peter hadn’t been responsive much to the idea of moving. He didn’t object to it, but he wasn’t fond of it either. He walked upstairs, probably to claim his bedroom._

_“I’m worried about him, Yuki.” Estelle laid her head on his shoulder._

_“He’ll be fine. Just give him some time.”_

_…_

_“Hey, Yuki?”_

_“Is this about you wanting to stay home?”_

_He could feel her nod. “Yeah. As much as I loved being your secretary, I love being a mother even more.”_

_He turned around so he could look at his partner. “As long as you’re happy, so am I.”_

Things settled in quickly with the new household. Yuki was gone most of the day, but always arrived home by 6:00 p.m. The kids were out, depending on school and activities. And Estelle was always there to hold the fort down and provide anything necessary. It was relaxing in a word.

Eventually, the two of them decided to actually tie the knot. However, neither wanted some big extravaganza. As much as Estelle wanted to have the proper wedding she never had with Leon, she knew that, if someone in the press found out who the biggest CEO in Japan was married to, any private life her family had would be over. Yuki didn’t want that; he had already told the media that, if they ever said any details about his soon-to-be wife or her family, they’d be so many lawsuits no one involved would ever find work again. So, they just decided to have it be all formal; just sign whatever documents were necessary and continue on their life as they’d done so far.

_Dinner this night had been better than usual. This often meant that Estelle was in a good mood. This time around, he knew the reason. All of them were sitting in the living room, with the children on the couch and the two of them on chairs facing them._

_“Kids, there’s something I need to-“”You and Mom got married, didn’t you?”_

_Both of them paled a little. “How… how did you know?”_

_“You’ve both been looking at each other more often than usual today, and you’ve been talking about it for the past several weeks. I will admit I did eavesdrop a bit, but even when I wasn’t, I could still hear you.”_

_Yuki sighed. The hard part was coming. “So… are you OK with that?”_

_“Are you both of you happy with this?”_

_“Yes.””Of course.”_

_Peter let out a rare smile, something that had become more common recently. “Then I’m happy with that.”_

_“Umm, Mr. Yuki?”_

_Yuki was a bit surprised that Delphina actually raised her hand; normally, she would just blurt it out. “Yes?”_

_“Is it OK… if I call you Daddy?”_

_He felt his heart skip a bit. “Of course you can. I would be honored.”_

_He felt something hit his chest as his stepdaughter hugged him tightly. “I love you, Daddy! I love you so much!”_

_Agathe got off the couch and walked towards him. “Would it be alright if I called you Father?”_

_“You can call me whatever you want, Agathe.”_

_She simply smiled as she leapt into his lap and hugged him next to her older sister._

_“What about you, Peter?”_

_Peter stood up, but stayed where he was. “I think I’ll just call you Yuki for now.”_

_“OK. I’m good with that.”_

_Estelle stood up and walked towards her son. “Are you sure you’re OK with this, Peter?”_

_In the time of a second, Peter had his arms wrapped around his mother. “Yeah. I am.”_

_“Well. Looks like everyone is agreement. Now then, who’s in the mood for cake?”_

_“I am!” Even Agathe was excited for once. Truly a momentous occasion._

“Mr. Kiriyama, the CFO’s ready.”

“Bring him in.”

If he had to choose between his business and his family, the resignation letter’s ink wouldn’t be dry before he would be next to his loved ones. No chance in hell he would ever let them suffer.

*

The projection of his bosses shimmered in front of him. Yamaki always felt that they were staring through him, even though they were shown as pictures.

“So, Yamaki, what is the current status of Shinjuku?”

“At the current moment, there seems to be no reason to engage in any offensive manners. The three humans that have Digimon partners have only used them to fight Wild Ones. However, we have reason to believe there are others who have not engaged in combat.”

“Who are these three?”

“Ruki Makino was the first to gain her partner, a Renamon. She’s been active for four months. She’s had the most combat logged in our system.”

“Makino? Like the model?”

“Yes. Ruki’s the daughter of Rumiko Makino and Yuki Kiriyama. The second one is Jianliang Lee; his partner is a Terriermon. He’s the son of a Chinese immigrant who does computer engineering. He’s been active two months.”

“And the third one?”

“Takato Matsuki. Pretty bland, he’s the son of a baker in Nishi. The only abnormality is his partner. This ‘Guilmon’ should not exist; it has never been seen in any fictional media nor our own records.”

“What does this mean?”

Yamaki shrugged. “Maybe Matsuki created his own. We’re performing tests to find out the reason.”

“You said there were others out there?”

“Yes. We have signals of Digimon that have been going for three months, two months, and three weeks respectively. However, none of them have engaged in any combat, as far as we can tell.”

There was silence for a moment before one of them spoke up. “Well, considering the data you’ve sent us, we see no reason to deny your mission statement. Hypnos will remain passive for now.”

“There is one more request, sir.”

“What is it, Yamaki?”

“There was been an increase of Wild One activity. I ask that the three humans with partners, and any future ones that enter combat, be followed by Hypnos agents.”

“What is your reasoning behind this request?”

“I would like to see how they operate, in case we need to equip agents with their own partners.”

“Very well. You may assign one agent per human, but we ask for biweekly updates.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You’ve done well so far, Yamaki. Don’t screw this up.”

The projection disappeared, and the late afternoon sun came through.

If it wasn’t for those damn Navy admirals, he wouldn’t have to be dealing with matters that should be fictional. In any case, he had to deal with the situation the best way he could. He went over to his desk to start making arrangements.

*

“I’m home.”

“Hey, Yuki.”

Peter didn’t do much after leaving Takato and Lee behind at the café. He walked around Shinjuku for a bit before returning home and relaxing.

“So, how was your day?”

Yuki shrugged. “Nothing out of the usual.”

…

“So, you gonna tell me how you knew those two boys?”

“… You mind if I keep a secret for now?”

“Is it anything illegal?”

“No, it’s something we’d like to keep between us.”

“Alright, I can accept that.”

Peter heard his mother come down the stairs. “Yuki, I didn’t hear come in.”

“I guess I wanted to make it a surprise. What’s that on your hands?”

“It’s just some dirt. I was gardening a bit.”

“Oh, getting dirty for me, aren’t you?”

“Why don’t you see?”

Peter laid back on the couch and didn’t look over to disturb their privacy as he could hear them kissing, touching each other, and his mother moaning sometimes _(is he using his hand or knee? why the hell should I care?)_. He wasn’t trying to prevent any scarification; he had walked into his parents making out and having sex before. It didn’t bother him, he just felt bad for bothering them in such an intimate moment. On the other hand, they should probably try not to have sex in a place where someone might walk into them. Like on the couch in the afternoon. Or the outside garden (which was fortunately covered by a tall fence). Or the kitchen table.

“We’re hom-Oh my god!”

“I understand that you love each other very much, but could you try to leave that in the bedroom?”

They broke their intimacy and looked at their daughters. “Well, you know how young couples can be sometimes.”

“You’re both over 30. I’m pretty sure that ‘young couple’ shit doesn’t work anymore.”

He felt something soft hit his forehead, probably an eraser.

“As for you, Delphina, I didn’t complain when I found that Miyazawa kid eating you out in the bathroom.”

“Nii-san!”

Yuki looked a bit confused. “When did this happen?”

“About a month ago.” Peter remembered it very clearly. He had to use the john when he walked in there. There wasn’t much consequences, other than Peter telling the boy that if he ever got his sister pregnant, there’d be no way for him to get any other girl pregnant.

“I thought you broke up with him back in December.”

Delphina was getting super red in the face and looked like she might cry. “OK, so we do it time from time… it’s nothing that bad…”

“Yeah, until your dresses stop fitting.”

“You can be such an ass, Nii-san.”

Agathe came over and touched her sister’s shoulder. “Aneki, Peter’s just teasing you. It’s nothing serious.”

Peter walked over. “Hey, I’m sorry if I made you upset. I don’t think Miyazawa is that bad of a guy. He’s just… a bit too eager at times.”

Delphina was calmed down enough at this point to stop looking like she might create a river with her eyes. “OK.”

Peter’s mental calculations finished at this time, which made him realize that he crossed the living room into the hallway where Delphina and Agathe were standing. “Where’d Mom and Yuki go?”

As if some lewd God wanted to answer him, the three siblings could hear moaning coming from upstairs.

“So, Aniki, how was your day?”

_[Business as usual.]_


	5. Other

Other

She usually made tea by herself. The other three living in her house weren’t that interested in tea, except for Peter, but he usually went to a tea shop in Akihabara where some of his high school friends worked.

_[For the uninitiated, Akihabara is otaku central in Tokyo.]_

“Here you go, Seiko.”

“Thank you, Estelle.”

Estelle liked Rumiko, but she was a bit too flighty to have any heart-to-heart conversations with. Seiko, on the other hand, was wise and had been through a lot. She had played the role of a surrogate grandmother for the children.

“So, how’s Peter these days?”

A pause. “He’s doing as well as he can.”

“You sound unsure.”

“Sometimes, he just seems so… lost. As if he doesn’t know what to do.”

“Not everyone finds out what’s right for them immediately. Just give him time. How about your daughters?”

“They’re both getting good grades in school. In fact, Delphina told me that Agathe has her eyes on someone.”

“Is this the actual romantic eyes, or the “I want him in bed” eyes?”

_[I’ve, um, I’ve seen those second a bit too much that I can instantly summon a hundred of them in my head… I’d rather not talk about it.]_

“It’s the former, Seiko, trust me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be the first to tell you that your daughters have a reputation.”

_[Talkin’ ‘bout my reputation… I know that’s not how the song goes, but it fits.]_

Estelle put her tea down for a moment. She was well aware of what Delphina and Agathe did in their free time. No one ever complained or got hurt, so she didn’t interfere, except for reminding to always be safe, use protection, and don’t do it with anyone they didn’t know. _[;)]_

“So, what’s his name?”

“Hiro Kamiya. He lives in Kagurazaka. Father’s an engineer, the head of the Bureau of Waterworks.”

“He seem nice?”

“I’ve never met him, but Delphina says they’d be a good match. Speaking of that, does Ruki have any interest in any one?”

Seiko chuckled a bit, in that way that made it seem liked she was planning something. “I’m lucky if Ruki doesn’t come storming in, cursing whoever pissed her off that day.”

“I worry about her quite a bit.”

Seiko put her hand over Estelle’s. “Rumiko’s a good mother; she just doesn’t entirely understand Ruki no matter how many times I talk to her.”

“It’s not so much the relationship between the two of them; at least Ruki can tolerate Rumiko being in the same room as her. But…”

“I don’t know what either of us can do there. We just have to hope that one day she can accept the situation and move on.”

_I don’t think it’s just that easy, though._

*

“Yo, Takato-kun!”

Peter was, as per usual, wandering around Shinjuku with nothing better to do than to wander around Shinjuku. He did go to this maid café in Akihabara, though; it was better than walking around, and there were pretty girls to look at, so… _[;)]_

He then decided to hang out with Takato, but he didn’t have a phone number or address (he knew he’d been forgetting to ask for something). _[…]_ However, if Guilmon was near him, he could figure out where he was.

It was something he’d been developing for the past several days. He could sense Digimon passing the border between their world and the real world, so it shouldn’t be that hard to use that ability to sense Digimon already active. It took him a few tries, which felt like his brain was frying, but he was able to channel it. He found Guilmon’s signal in the Ushigome park.

“Hey, Mr. Peter. Why are you here?”

“Bored, had nothing better to do. Hope you’re not offended by that.”

“Offended by what?”

…

“Never mind.”

Guilmon was out in the open, so Peter felt the need to ask “Isn’t it a bad idea to take him out for a walk in the open?”

“I’ve been here a lot, actually. No one’s ever around on a Saturday and if someone does come by, I can just say Guilmon’s a cosplay… a really well done cosplay.”

_[For the uninitiated, cosplay is Japanese and comes from the English words “costume” and “party”; it describes people who dress as fictional characters, typically from anime or video games. Everyone from the line I live in would look like they were in cosplay… just the kind that would get you kicked out of a con, though.]_

Peter looked over at the red beast. “You’d believe that, Guilmon?”

“What’s a cosplay?”

“Well, let’s just hope that no one tries to investigate it.” _I’ve heard of worse ideas. [Like what, MKUltra?]_

Just up the path, Peter saw a young boy with a green thing on his head. He knew how to greet them.

_[With politeness and fresh-baked cookies?]_

“Oi, Lee-kun! You always take that shitheaded rabbit around?”

_[Of course not.]_

The intended response was achieved.

“What the hell did I tell you last time, you dumb bastard?! I’m a dog, not a rabbit!” Of course, the verbal aggression was more noticeable than the physical act.

“So, Lee-kun, how’ve you been?”

“Good. How about you?”

Peter shrugged. “About as well as it can be.”

There was silence for a while. None of them really knew what to say at this current time. Suddenly, Peter felt a presence nearby, one that felt stronger than the two other nearby Digimon. And different… somehow.

 **“Koyousetsu!”** _[Translated as “Fox Leaf Arrowheads.”]_

Dozens of energy-rich projectiles appeared out of nowhere. They started flying towards Peter.

_Aw, shit. Form your will._

He was able to dodge most of the shards, but a few made impact. He took note of himself. His jacket was a little torn up, but he was fine.

He saw the Digimon before him. She – it looked like it would identify as a she – was slender in shape, but appeared strong. She was covered in gold and white fur, with only a pair of purple gloves covering her body. Those cold blue eyes – they scared the hell out of him.

_What the hell is this bitch’s problem? She doesn’t seem to have just appeared._

The attacker took awareness of her surroundings. None of them wanted to confront her. _Maybe she’ll just leave. We’re not that much of a threat, right?_

Yeah, right. She became intensely focused on Guilmon and disappeared.

 **“Touhakken!”** _[Translated as “Tohachi Game.” I will not I have no idea what that means.]_ She struck Guilmon with a blue-flamed fist.

“Takato-kun, move out of there now!” He followed commands well and moved towards Lee and Terriermon.

The fox-like Digimon punched the dinosaur a couple of times until he bit her arm. _Shit, that looks like it hurts._ He continued to swipe at her with his claws, but it didn’t look like it was going well.

 _Let me try something._ He focused his energy at the female. Suddenly, her data appeared.

_Renamon, quite strong for a Child. She favors grace over brute force, but also likes to get things done quickly. Huh, my kind of woman._

This had to end now. He ran over to the fighting duo and pulled Renamon off him. He couldn’t tell exactly what she was thinking, but she seemed surprised. He tossed her over his shoulder; he was impressed as she landed on her feet.

He assumed a defensive stance. He never took any formal martial arts training, but he was quick on his feet, and had a good idea what to do: _Wear her out, and then beat her down._

She disappeared – or rather, to his sharp blue eyes, she moved quickly and was aiming a kick square at his breastbone.

He didn’t catch quick enough, but at least he still got her. _Fuck, that’s going to leave a fucking brui- shit that hurt. [Agreed. It does hurt.]_ Peter decided to spin her around a few times and toss her away. Once again, on her feet.

They started trading a few blows – and blocking all of them – before Peter began talking. “So, you like to go by Rena, or are you all formal?”

_[… The cosmic backlash I feel from all of the universes is immense.]_

He could feel the facepalm, even if he didn’t hear from the two humans. Still, he smirked.

“All right then, Miss Rena, why are we (dodge) fighting right now?” No answer.

“You like Bruce Lee?” _[Famous martial arts movie star from the ‘70s. Not all lines had him. What a shame.]_ No answer.

“How long you been here?” Nothing stopping her.

“Got a Tamer?” A slight pause before resuming.

“Where are they?” He wanted to see if the mask- yep, there it was. A glance towards some bushes near the two boys.

“Well, I think it’s time for a break, don’t you agree?” _Chokehold or Bane? … Bane._

_[Bane is a reference to a Batman storyline where a villain of the same name… well, you’ll see.]_

He was able to grab an arm and a leg and knock his knee against her back. It seemed to take the fight out of her. “I’ll be right back, Miss Rena.”

He sped over to the bush that he noticed. There seemed to be a slight disturbance to the leaves, but nothing a normal person would notice. Reaching in, a neck was grabbed and lifted like a kitten.

That red-haired stepsister of his. _[Some may not get it, but this refers to an old cliché humans used; an unwanted burden could be referred to as “the red-headed stepchild.”]_ _Why am I not surprised?_

“You know, Ruki-chan, I would say you’re a bit too young to hide in unfamiliar bushes, but I don’t like to judge other people.”

_[… That’s not questionable.]_

“Put me down, you shiteating faggot!”

“If you insist.”

A body hurled at a slight velocity towards two unexpecting people will likely result in a dogpile. It did this time.

“Whose hand is on my ass?!”

“Uhh, sorry!” Takato scooted from the situation quickly, blushing like a schoolgirl. So was Ruki, actually. Huh. Moving on…

He felt a presence behind him. “Miss Rena, I never intended to harm your Tamer. Just… try to show her that aggravating others would not lead to a beneficial outcome.”

What seemed like hours passed, with her gaze on him. He thought he would die. Instead, he felt a punch to the kidneys, which hurt like a bitch. When he looked back, Renamon was gone. So was Ruki as he looked forward. Guilmon had woken up and arrived at this time.

“You alright, Guilmon?” The ground felt too comfortable to get up from it right now.

“What just happened?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“No. I was talking with Takato… and then I was on the ground.”

_Huh. Why didn’t he remember biting Renamon’s arm?_

Takato helped Peter get up. “Hey, Peter?”

“Yeah?”

“Was that really your stepsister?”

“Yeah. Ruki Makino, Yuki’s daughter. She wasn’t always a bitch, though; I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

“Maybe it was because you tossed her and her partner around like ragdolls.”

“Trust me, that was her normal behavior.” That was why Peter tried to avoid her as much as possible; he didn’t want a public confrontation.

“Was she trying to have us killed?”

Peter shrugged. “Who knows?”

*

Renamon located her Tamer at her house. She decided to stay in the tall tree in the backyard. She was trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

All of her life (how long she lived, she didn’t know, but that didn’t matter), her only reason for existence was to survive. Whether that meant killing everything in her path or being some brute’s plaything, as long as she was alive by the next morning, she was OK. Happiness or quality of life wasn’t an issue.

But when she met Ruki… something changed. That girl standing in front of her seemed so tough, but the microexpressions in her face showed that she was scared of Renamon.

For the first time in her existence, Renamon wanted something more than survival. She wanted to keep Ruki happy, even if it cost her life. That’s why, even if she didn’t wanted to attack an innocent, she was willing to obey Ruki’s commands.

But now… now she had to talk with her. Or something horrible might happen that she couldn’t prevent.

She opened the door that led from Ruki’s room to the porch. The girl was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

“…Ruki.”

She looked over. “What is it, Renamon?”

“Was attacking them necessary?”

“How else are you going to become stronger if you don’t defeat Digimon?”

“Was the one called Peter a necessary target?”

“He could handle himself.”

“How would you know?”

“… Listen, there’s no reason to go after them. You can leave them be.”

Renamon realized that the conversation was over by this point and went back into the backyard.

_I have to do something…_

*

Takato and the rest had found themselves by Guilmon’s shed. Peter had healed from his minor injuries by this point. Everyone had stayed quiet for a while, even Terriermon. None of them knew what to say to Peter, who was sitting on the steps.

_We gotta say something, but what?_

Takato walked over to him, hesitantly. “You all right, Peter?”

“What?” He looked distracted. “Yeah, I’m-I’m fine.”

_What should I say next? Um… um… crap…_

Lee jumped in. “Hey, Peter? Do you think you can do anything else with those powers of yours?”

“Whatdya mean?”

“Well, you’re able to fight Digimon toe-to-toe and you can track them using their… what should we call it?”

“How about a Digital Signature? Like an online signature.”

“Alright, sure. I mean, you should be able to do more with your powers, right?”

Lee had a point. Peter seemed to able to do more than the normal human could; could he have untapped powers? Takato looked at Guilmon and had an idea.

“Do you think you could make Guilmon look human?”

All of them looked at Takato like he grew a second head or something, but he felt he had a valid point.

“Well… maybe.” Peter stood up, but he seemed a little unsteady. “I was able to analyze Renamon during the fight, and I could see her structure. It looked like a wire frame.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a 3-D model that shows an object as lines and dots. Maybe, if I can manipulate, I can create a, um, an illusion of some sorts.”

Peter walked over to Guilmon and bent towards his level. He started moving his hands around, like he was forming a sculpture.

“Alright, here we… go.” Blue data shimmered around Guilmon as Peter’s mental concept took shape. Takato’s vision went white for a moment, before he saw him.

Guilmon looked like he could’ve been Takato’s age, except a bit shorter than the boy. He had somewhat-long red hair and golden eyes. His face just radiated innocence. He looked at himself in shock.

 _Wow… I can’t believe it worked…_ Takato walked over to his partner. “Hey, you feelin’ alright?”

“Yeah,” his voice was the same, which betrayed him somewhat, “but it feels… weird.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Your body’s used to a different form. Speaking of which, can you turn back?”

Guilmon closed his eyes and started focusing. Takato was worried now. Before, it seemed exciting; now, he was scared his partner was going to hurt himself. Guilmon was holding his breath and starting to turn blue. Finally, the data flowed around him again and he returned to his Digimon. Takato was relived before Guilmon fell to the ground.

“Guilmon!” Takato went to his partner. “Are you OK?”

“Takato… I didn’t realize there were two of you.”

_Man… I can’t believe what has happened today…_

“Can you believe this, L- Huh, where’d Lee-kun go?”

Even Peter was off-guard, as both the Chinese boy and the green rabbit had left already.

“Maybe he had to go home.”

“I guess so.”

There was so much going on that Takato didn’t know what to do next. But he had one priority over all: he would make sure that Guilmon stayed safe. He didn’t want to let anyone down.

_[“Dare to be naïve.”]_


	6. Rumination

Rumination

Yuki Kiriyama usually woke up at 5:00 a.m. However, since today was a Sunday, he decided to sleep in. He woke up in his bed alone. He looked at the clock, which read 7:20.

“Estelle?”

“In here.” The voice came from the adjoining bathroom. Yuki walked in; the room was somewhat foggy and Estelle was wrapped in a towel. He felt her wetness as he sat behind her.

_[*starts playing George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”*… Go look it up, it’s actually a good song.]_

“I didn’t hear you get up.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you.” Estelle reached for a brush and handed it to Yuki. “Would you like to do it?”

“Alright.” As he started brushing his wife’s hair, he looked at her eyes in the mirror. So clear.

_[In the Japanese version, Yuki waxed for a while about her eyes. But when putting it into English, I decided to make his part less psychological to contrast with the rest of the chapter.]_

“So, do you have any plans for today?”

“Hang around the house, maybe have some fun with you.” He held her closer to him.

“Maybe if you water the garden today, we could.”

_[I’d make a ‘watering my garden’ joke, but that’d make me feel green… I really need to stop hanging out with Leon and the rest of them.]_

Yuki always liked that she could take anything he said and have fun with it, but never sound cruel. “Yes, mistress.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m not fucking doing it, alright!”

_[This statement and the following one was less vulgar and more masculine in the original Japanese, but that wouldn’t get across in English just how pissed off Ruki is.]_

The yelling came from outside. To be exact, right next door. Yuki looked out of the bedroom window to see what was going on.

“But you’d look good in it, Ruki.”

“I don’t give a shit! That dress looks like shit anyway!” Ruki looked over at her father and walked off furiously.

Estelle walked towards the window. “What’s going on?”

“The same thing as usual.”

“Can’t you talk to her one of these days?”

“Everytime I do, she tells me to fuck off.” He felt arms around him; just what he needed.

“It’ll be alright.” She turned him around to face him and kissed him.

_So soft… wait…_

“Your towel fell off.”

…

“Well… that could’ve gotten into the way of something fun.” She looked at him with _that_ face.

_[*starts playing “Whisper”*]_

_Well, this will be a good morning._

*

She didn’t know exactly where she was; it was some apartment building in Kabukicho. _[Kabukicho, located in Shinjuku, is Tokyo’s premier red light district.]_ She’d gone there multiple times before when she needed to get away. That seemed to happen a lot more recently.

She was so frustrated with her life. She couldn’t live on her own, but she couldn’t stand that bitch. Well, her grandmother was OK, but she usually took Rumiko’s side. That house was so big, but she always ran into someone when she didn’t feel like it, and there was no one around where it got to be too much.

She heard someone walking up the fire escape. A young man with blue-tinted hair was stepping onto the roof.

“Well,” he drawled out his L’s a bit, “I didn’t see there was someone else up here. You don’t mind if I smoke, do ya?”

“I don’t give a shit.”

The man took out a cigarette and lighter and began to smoke.

She especially hated having to live next door to her father’s concubine and that lazyass pervert. The two girls were OK.

She started coughing at the smoke.

“Sorry ‘bout dat. I’ll put it out.”

“No. It’s fine.” _Why should he give a shit about me? I’m intruding on his property._

He held the lit cigarette to her. “Wanna try?”

_Why the hell not?_ She took it from him and put it to her mouth. Immediately, her throat started to burn.

“Don’t get too much a that in yo’r lungs.”

“Thanks, asshole.” He scooted a bit.

“So, got a name?”

_I don’t feel like giving it out, asshole._

…

They continued to sit in silence, besides the people talking down below.

She remembered last night, how she felt so humiliated after what happened in the park. She was in her bed, wanting to cry, but afraid to let it all out. She felt warm arms around her as she went to sleep.

The man went back to the fire escape and walked down.

She looked down at the street. There were cars driving by, people talking with one another, and nothing really going on.

She hated being up here, but she hated being down there even more.

*

The room was dark, only illuminated by the various screens he was surrounded by. They were showing various data nonsense that he wouldn’t have given a damn about a year ago.

“Anything different?”

“Sorry, boss.”

Of course. Nothing changed in this goddamn catacomb. It was only good for burying those who couldn’t go anywhere else.

_I wish I hadn’t quit smoking._

He still carried that lighter around. It was a gift from his ex.

The numbers wasn’t what bothered him. He was an accountant back in the Navy. Of course, where he fucked up was forgetting that the numbers weren’t everything. At least, that was his opinion.

There were some problems in a financial report, so he did some investigating on his own. His trials and tribulations eventually led him to two admirals, a suspicious club, and a hella lot of cocaine. ( _Wasn’t that more of an American thing?_ )

He did appreciate seeing them in prison (they were dicks), but the government didn’t like being embarrassed. They needed to make sure every person involved fell out of public sight. Any military officials were sent to prison, the prostitutes went to who-the-hell-knows-where, and as for him… well, they found the perfect spot for him. The joke of the Japanese government, for a crackpot theory someone came up with years ago. Hypnos.

He looked it up the first time he heard of it. Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep. What that had to do with digital lifeforms he had no idea. In any case, it didn’t matter. He’d be stuck here until he retired or blew his brains out. He’d probably do all over their nice machinery, just to get one more laugh at those assholes.

The two data technicians he got were also failures in the government’s eyes. One of them used to be a mistress of some official, and the other one… well, he had no idea to be honest why she was there. He never bothered remembering their names. They were just glimpses of faces that he looked up at every so often.

He sometimes could convince himself to think that what he was doing was helping people in some way, but then he entered an elevator or went to a meeting. They treated him as politely as could be, but they couldn’t give a single shit about him. The only reason the higher-ups even listened to any of his requests was because… he had no idea, really. Probably because his ideas actually seemed smart, unlike a lot of other shit they’d hear that day.

At the current moment, Hypnos’ mission statement was to monitor digital activity. They’d done quite a bit of that. They were impressed with these kids’ talents, though; they usually took down the Wild Ones pretty quickly. The whole agents idea was something that he had to lie about so he could get it approved. His reasoning behind this was so that he could see if these kids were being fucked up by what was happening to them.

He had several friends in overseas militaries who had seen combat. There always had a look to them that made it aware of what had happened. Even if they were separated from immediate combat, he could still see the damage. If they seemed to be suffering from any sorts of issues, he would try to get counseling for them. He didn’t want to go through that again.

_*click* *click*_

*

Right in front of him was a fringed orchid that Miss Hata had planted recently. He was trying to get its individual edges right.

His work typically didn’t involve such edges, more… curves. _[;)]_ Practice was always good, though, so he would go next door to draw various plants from the garden. The flowers there always put him at ease, they always smelled so nice. He tried to do it at times when Ruki wasn’t around.

The white flower before him didn’t move. It was so still.

_If only life was like that…_

It wouldn’t be entirely unfair to call him lazy. Sure, he got his work done on time, sometimes early, but with the rest of his life, he felt like he had to do whatever or else someone would judge him.

_He doesn’t have motivation… he can’t take care of himself… he’s just a lazy bum…_

He could hear the whispers in his head. He at least saw the looks time from time. He just wish he could understand what his purpose was. He had to have a purpose.

The universe wasn’t that much of a douchebag, right?

_ohmygodbehindyo_

Before he could even react, there was an arm around his neck. It wasn’t tight, but still, it was there. It made him worried.

Even if that arm was furry. And warm. And kinda felt nice.

“Relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”

He looked slowly behind him, just to make sure.

“You’re not too pissed off about what I said in the park, right?”

She blinked. “No. Why should I?”

… “Then why’s your arm around my neck?”

“I just wanted to make sure that you were not trying to get revenge.”

“Well, I’m not, OK? I’m just to draw flowers. Anyway, how’d you know I was here?”

“I felt your presence.” She got next to his ear; he could fear her fur tickling him. “I don’t know how or why, but your presence is the same as mine.”

He could analyze that statement later (as important as it was to him), because right now he was starting to feel… awkward.

“Why is your arm still around me?”

He could feel her getting warmer. _Is she… she’s blushing?_

“It… it feels nice. It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

_Uhhh…._ “No, it feels fine.” _Real smooth._

He felt both of her arms wrap around his stomach and being pulled closer towards her. Her fur felt so smooth and comfortable. He let go of his art supplies and looked over towards her.

“Why are you doing this? I mean, there isn’t anything wrong with it, but still…”

“You remind me of someone.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I don’t remember how, or who, but I do know that that person was someone that I cared about. I know you’re not them, but right now, I just need to be close to them.”

He was shocked. This creature (person? she seemed more humanoid than the rest) acted so coldly beforehand, yet now she wanted someone to be with her. Not in a sexual sense, nor romantic, just a person to sit with.

He knew that feeling of loneliness, when even a crowd can’t make you forget it. Whether it be due to his different attributes from those around him, his job, or some existential dread, he knew that any person could feel it at any time.

So, if someone needed relief from that, he would help them.

“OK. I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

For a while, they just sat there, feeling the breeze, listening to the birds, and almost subconsciously counting each other’s breaths. It was nice, peaceful.

A door suddenly opened behind them. He turned around to see who opened it.

“Of course it’d be you, pervert.” She shut the door rapidly, not caring about who else was there. He started to get up, but decided to say something before he left.

“I hope we could do that again sometime.”

“I hope we can.”

_[For once, tranquility.]_


	7. Friend

Friend

The two of them were sitting there, unsure of what to say to each other. Guilmon and Terriermon were near them, playing tag in the grass.

_What am I even doing here?_

_[Well, you could be relaxing in the park, having a nice day… or you could be playing with your friends… but you’re that kind of guy, are you?]_

He liked the old days better, when it was just him and Terriermon. While he appreciated Takato’s company, he found the boy to be a bit… simple-minded. _[… Just because he’s not as smart as you doesn’t mean he… Wait, are both of my comments assholish so far? Umm, sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I guess I’m in a bad mood today. Sorry ‘bout that.]_ He didn’t look past today and try to figure out what he wanted to happen in his future. Still, at least he was a good person to be around.

“So, Lee-kun,” Takato decided to talk first, “what did you think about Makino-kun?”

Lee was a bit surprised by Takato’s question, but he had an answer. “Well, she seems capable in her position, but she’s somewhat emotionally unstable.”

“… Isn’t that just called puberty?”

_[Damn, Takato going for the quick blaze.]_

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about what Peter said. About how he tries to avoid her in public so he doesn’t have a confrontation with her.”

“Well, maybe there’s something going on concerning them. I mean, Peter’s a weird guy, to begin with.”

Lee was a bit shocked by what Takato said. “What do you mean?”

“Well, something happened with his dad, but he tiptoes around it too much. He also wasn’t too fazed by Digimon existing.”

 _That is true… maybe Takato isn’t short-sighted as I thought he was._ “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”

Both of them became silent again. Guilmon and Terriermon were still playing.

As if any of them knew what to do now.

*

The two of them were going from roof to roof, heading to Ichigaya. Both of them had sensed a Digimon emerging and started travelling as soon as possible.

“So, what are we facing today?” Ruki still found it a bit odd that Renamon was able to speak without seeing her mouth move, but it didn’t matter.

Ruki looked at her Digivice. “Yaksamon, an Adult level. He’s highly skilled with his bokken.” She looked up at Renamon. “You can take him down.”

Renamon didn’t respond. She just continued on forward.

They eventually landed on a roof covered in that fog.

“Where is he?”

“Over here, Miss.”

The enemy came down from a billboard. He looked like some weird ‘90s version of a samurai.

_[So, a cross between Demolition Man and Blind Fury?]_

“You… You are _a_ Renamon, correct?” the Yaksamon looked at her with intent, for unknown purpose. He completely ignored Ruki.

“Yes. What is so important about my species?”

 _Species?_ Ruki had never heard Renamon refer to herself like that. _What the hell does she mean by that?_ She knew.

“At the current moment, you have this… human to be your… whatever you wish to call it. As much as I loath to find myself subservient to a being, I do understand the power this would bring me. My terms are this: Whoever wins this fight will be the partner of the child.”

“It doesn’t really matter. Renamon can kick your ass to New York.” There was something slightly unsettling about the whole situation, but it didn’t matter; she wanted to this fight over with.

“Fine. **Ittouryoudan!** ” _[“Bisecting Stroke!”]_ His two wooden swords crossed and a wave of energy went towards them. Renamon got both of them out of the way.

“Stay here. I’ll take care of him.” Renamon went over and began to fight Yaksamon. The two of them were even, but Ruki noticed that Yaksamon had the slight advantage, since he had a longer range than Renamon. But that could change.

 **“Touhakken!”** the myriads of diamonds flew towards the swordsmon. Smoke covered him for several moments, so Ruki could not see the immediate outcome.

One of the bokken came flying from the smoke and hit Renamon in the head. Yaksamon was lightly damaged.

“How weak… Why am I engaging in such a battle?” Yaksamon went at Renamon again. Ruki noticed that Renamon was somewhat slower in defending herself. _Come on, just move faster, damnit._

She got her cards and found a speed increase. She pulled out, aiming to slide it through her Digivice. She felt something impact her body.

“Fuck/ shit! What the hell was that?”

Yaksamon was approaching towards Ruki. “How weak. And here I thought you were worth something. I don’t need a little bitch like you keeping me back.” He raised his bokken.

“Not tonight, shithead!” Someone came out of goddamn nowhere and kicked Yaksamon back. Peter helped Ruki up. “I felt a disturbance. You alright?”

Ruki stared at him. “I don’t need any help.”

“Goddamnit, he was going to kill you! You think- oh shit!” She felt herself being grabbed and shoved to the ground. Peter’s body separated her from Yaksamon’s attack.

 _Why is he doing this? Why does he…_ She knew the answer. She knew for too long. She just couldn’t say it. She was too afraid. Well, not anymore.

“Thanks, Peter.”

… “It’s alright. I’ll go take care of him.” Peter went out and started fighting Yaksamon. He had a better time dealing with him, as his speed was greater than his enemy. Still, his skill wasn’t that high in EXP. _[Damnit, I thought Leon was supposed to change that… I don’t wanna know what he was busy with.]_ After a while, his ass got handed to him. His body was bruised from Yaksamon’s bokken.

_No… I won’t someone I care about… get hurt like this!_

“Ahhh!” Ruki charged at the bastard. She felt a hand wrapping around her neck.

“You… filthy… cunt. You fucking dare lay on a hand on me, you human bitch?! I’m sick of your shit and your stupid, goddamn life. You think that just because you’re human, you’re better? Fuck that. You probably don’t even care about that fox bitch, you little shit.”

“Don’t… you ever… say that again.”

_I don’t have much time… Shit, might as well say everything I can._

“I’m a bitch. I treat everyone like shit and don’t care about their feelings. I know people want to be nice to me, but I was too afraid to say I wanted to be around them because I had too much hate. I want to change. I want to say I care about others.

“I care… for Renamon…”

The oxygen in her body was almost gone. She was starting to black out.

_Sorry, Mom… Sorry, you old bastard… Sorry…_

“EVOLUTION!”

*

She felt broken all over. Her arms wouldn’t move, no matter how hard she tried to get up. A weight felt pressed on her torso.

“I care… for Renamon…”

_She’s never said that before…_

She wasn’t afraid anymore. She can’t be. She won’t.

“EVOLUTION!”

This wave of energy… it was powerful, overwhelming. It penetrated every fiber of her being, but it didn’t hurt. It supported her. Fixed all of her wounds. And then… she felt her sense of self change.

A spherical structure formed around her. It was packed data, tight. She felt the energy flowing deeper into her and expanding her. She became larger, yet at the same time lighter.

“ **Renamon, evolve!** ”

She didn’t know why she called it out; it just came out. Her tail split off into nine. Her limbs changed to make her quadrupedal. She felt… strong.

“ **Kyubimon!** ”

The structure around her exploded. She was invigorated. Her body was pumped full of energy. And she knew who to release it on.

“Let her go. Now.”

The pseudo-samurai let go of Ruki. His disposition completely changed; he was radiating fear. He picked his bokken.

“I-I’m not afraid of you, bitch!”

“Good. Then you won’t be afraid to give it your all.”

She wanted to tear him to pieces. But that could wait.

“ **Kodengeki!** ” _[_ _“Fox Electric Attack!”]_ Forming static electricity around her head, she charged at Yaksamon. He went flying into the air. She went towards him and flung him back towards the roof.

She got on top of him. She imagined herself ripping him from limp to limp, with his screams in the background.

“Please give me mercy!”

_killhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkillhim_

“You didn’t give mercy to those I love. Don’t think I’ll give it to you.”

_killhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkillhim_

All of her energy went towards her head.

kill

“ **Zutuski!** ” _[“Headbutt!”]_ She pounded her head on Yaksamon. His scream was short as he exploded into data.

It was over.

_Why?_

…

“Renamon?”

She looked behind her. Something was approaching. Some/thing. enemy. fear. She growled at this thing.

“Renamon, it’s me! Ruki!”

ruki. familiar. warmth. nice.

Care for.

“Please, don’t tell me you don’t remember me…”

Remember. Yes. Tamer. Tamer. Partner.

_Ruki is my friend._

_I am Ruki’s friend._

She went and looked at Ruki.

“I remember.”

Ruki put her arms around her head. “Good.

…

“I’m sorry that I never paid attention to you. Or saying thank you for things you did. Or even acknowledging that my life has changed because of you.

“But thanks.”

Kyubimon felt the energy she had built up dissipate. Renamon found Ruki’s arms around her torso. She held her closer.

“Thank you.”

The girl looked up. “For what?”

She had to say it right. She didn’t want to mess it up. But… maybe she was afraid.

That didn’t matter.

“For being there for me, just like I did for you. For being my friend.”

Ruki started to cry. She didn’t seem like she wanted to, but it happened anyway.

“I…. I…”

“Relax. You don’t have to say anything.”

They stayed there for a while.

…

“So, what’d I miss?”

Peter was walking towards them, healed of all his wounds.

“What did you do to me?” _It felt so weird, yet I felt… good. Powerful._

“I don’t know why.” Peter looked down. He started to shake. “I don’t know why I can do any of this. I wish I knew why.”

_“I’m afraid! I don’t want to be like this! Why can’t everyone leave me alone?”_

She knew. She went and held his shoulder.

“That doesn’t matter. You did a good thing.”

“Yeah, but… I mean, you said the other day that I’m like you? What do you mean by- You know what?” He moved away. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

“Are you-“

“Yes. OK?”

“OK.” _I guess._

The three of them found a fire escape to get them to the ground level.

“Wait. We have a problem.”

“What, Peter?”

“Well,” he indicated to Renamon, “even if it’s 8 P.M., someone might see you. We don’t want that kind of panic.”

“Well then, what should we do?”

“I know what to do.”

Peter walked towards Renamon. His gaze was different from before; it was intense and focused. His hands started to gain a slight glow. “Stay calm.” He moved his hands to Renamon’s body.

She felt a different, yet similar situation. Her body was changing… but it was somewhat more painful than last time. She felt her fur going inside her body. Her body was becoming somewhat heavier. She was…

“There, it’s done.”

She looked at herself. Her skin was… it was human.

Something on her head. Not fur, but similar. She felt it. She looked at it. It was soft… and yellow.

_Hair. This is my hair._

…

_What’s on my body?_

Clothes. They were just clothes. A white shirt and jeans.

“Goddamnit, Peter, did you have to make her look like your mother?!”

“Well, it wasn’t intentional.”

“Come on, she’s even got the same size tits!”

_Tits?_

She looked down.

She’d heard the word tits before (usually from Ruki’s mouth after school). It meant breasts. However, she was surprised by her size.

_… Is this natural?_

While Peter and Ruki were arguing, she started to feel them. They were able to bounce quite easily and… well, it kinda felt nice.

_… This is somewhat entertaining._

She felt eyes on her. She looked up. Peter and Ruki had stopped their argument and were staring at her.

“… Is something wrong?”

“Well, women don’t typically do that in public, unless they want someone to ask them how much.”

…

“Um, bad joke. Anyway, let’s go home.”

The three of them started walking towards the train station, with Peter in the front.

“Hey, Renamon?”

She looked down at her partner. She wasn’t looking up.

“Yes?”

“… We did good today, right?”

“Yes. Yes we did.”

_[One step at a time.]_


	8. Protect

Protect

Once again, Lee and Takato had found themselves meeting up and hanging out. It seemed to be happening a lot to them recently, considering they’d only met a little over a week ago. This time, they were at a food court in a mall in Yotsuya.

_[Yotsuya is a shopping district in Shinjuku.]_

“So, you have any encounters in the last couple days?”

Lee thought over for a moment. “No. There was a Digimon a few days ago, but someone handled it before I had time to get over there.”

“Do you know if Peter was involved?”

“I haven’t had a chance to contact him recently, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The only other person would’ve been Ruki.”

Takato waited for a moment. “They could be other people we don’t know about.”

“That’s also true.”

…

“Hey, Lee?”

“Yeah?”

“… Why do you do this?”

“You mean fighting?”

“Yeah.” Takato indicated to Guilmon’s human form, who was sitting next to them. He had become more comfortable interacting with human society; Terriermon was back in Lee’s apartment.

“I like to help people. I want to keep this city safe. That’s all it really is.”

“I see.”

_Is he having doubts?_

They started to hear chattering nearby and looked over. A group of teenage girls were located at the nearby table.

…

“What’s the matter, Lee?”

 _That girl…_ “What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just that-“

“You were really looking at them, Mister Lee!”

_Damn it, Guilmon!_

The girls had heard and were laughing. Lee sighed.

“Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Takato started to blush. “I feel like that from time to time.”

“It’s not that.” He felt more intense than he usually was.

“What’s the problem, Mister Lee?”

He couldn’t exactly get pissed off at Guilmon. He had such a childish face that you couldn’t blame him when he acted like a kid.

“I’m going to try something. Just follow along.”

Takato nodded.

Lee focused on the girls. “Delphina!”

A girl with red hair looked over to him.

“Knew it.”

Takato shook his head back and forth. “How did you know?”

“I guessed. Her facial structure was similar.”

She was walking towards them.

“Do we say anything-“

“No. Just say we met him somewhere.”

She sat down at their table.

“… Have we met before?”

“No, but I know your brother.”

“You know Peter?!”

“Yeah.” _Why does she sound surprised?_

“Where’d you meet him?”

“A park in Ushigome.” That was accurate for him, at least; saying that they met Peter in a dirty-ass factory would be very sketchy. “We saw him drawing plants and all of us started to talk.”

“Us?”

“Me and Takato.” He indicated to the other Tamer. “We’re… acquaintances.”

She looked at Tamer and partner. “So, which one is Takato?”

“I am. This is my friend, Takumi.”

_Good job._

“You’re very pretty, Miss Delphina!”

_…Not so good job._

She chuckled. “Aw, thanks. You’re really cute.”

“Hey, Delphina! We’re going!”

“All right! You guys have a good day!”

“You too!”

_I’m not sure if that went well or terribly._

*

The cave that they were was dimly lit, as per usual. The higher-ups said harsh lighting the whole place would ruin the equipment, or some shit like that. He didn’t really care.

“Anything?”

“No… Wait.”

“What is it?” He got up and looked at the screens.

“Something’s coming through. It’s big.”

“How big?”

“High on the Adult level. Bordering between that and Perfect… Shit, it’s come through.”

“Where the hell is it?!” _Goddamnit, why now?_

“… A few blocks from us, sir.”

_Oh fucking shit._

*

He felt his lungs burning and his legs straining from the effort, but he had little choice in the matter. He was with Guilmon when the Digimon appeared. Guilmon acted wilder than usual, grunting and frothing a little. Takato could feel it a little as well, the electricity in the air.

_Is this what Peter feels?_

They were nearby the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. There was a thick mist over the area, bigger than any other he’d seen.

“What’s in there, Takato?” Guilmon was in his human form and seemed afraid. Still, he looked determined to fight.

“Let me see.” He brought out his Digivice. “DarkTyrannomon, Adult level. He’s big and powerful, but not the brightest.”

“So, kinda like Guilmon?”

Takato looked behind him. Peter, Lee, Ruki, and Terriermon were there, along with a beautiful woman.

“Renamon?” He got a nod. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re here to help your dumbass!”

“Ruki, it’s alright. He’s not that much of an idiot.” Takato appreciated her stepbrother trying to calm her down (to which she responded with a glance), but the way it came out… “Listen, we’re a team. We should be helping each other, not getting into pissing matches.”

Takato nodded. “Alright then, what should we do?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“I don’t know. You generally seem to have a better idea of what we’re doing than the rest of us do.”

Peter rubbed his head and grumbled about “motivation” and “leadership” for a bit. “OK. The three Digimon will go and attack him, while all of us watch from that building up there.”

…

“What? I’m not Sun Tzu.”

It was the best plan they had, so they all agreed. The Digimon went forward into the mist.

“So, Peter, how do we get up there?”

“Just hold on.” Takato found himself wrapped around one of Peter’s arms, Lee on the other, and Ruki on piggyback. “Here we go!”

The ride up was worse than any roller coaster he’d ever or would even be on. He thought he was gonna puke.

“Goddamnit, Peter, you stupid shit!! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Hey, I said I was gonna get you guys up. You just didn’t ask how.”

“Listen, it’s fine, Ruki.” He wasn’t used to being so direct, but he felt they shouldn’t be arguing. “Let’s see how they’re doing.”

They all looked down. They were doing… fine.

Yeah, the big dragon turned out to have the power of a big fucking dragon, as he was taking all of their attacks without a scratch. At the same time, the three partners were small enough to dodge his attacks. It was a stalemate, though, which wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

“Alright, let’s just get this shit over with. Ready, Lee?”

“Yeah.”

Each of them pulled out a card.

“What are those?” Peter asked.

“Evolution cards. They should work, right?”

Peter shrugged. “I don’t know how this shit works.”

“Well, let’s see.”

The two of them slid the cards through their Digivices. Below, they could their respective Partners cocooned in a shell of data. Their Adult forms soon burst out.

“Alright, let’s see if this will work.”

 _I don’t know…_ He had a slight feeling of dread running through him. Still, they continued to watch the fight.

With two Adults on their side, the battle became more one-sided. The Partners were knocking the shit out of DarkTyrannomon. After a couple minutes, Takato noticed Guilmon; he looked tired.

_He’s trying to work as hard as the rest of them, isn’t he?_

…

_So am I, aren’t I?_

For a while, he knew it. He couldn’t say it, but he knew. In the Tamer ranks, he was at the bottom. Still, he did what he could in any situation he faced.

_You can’t do anything now, can you?_

“What the hell is he doing?”

Takato focused on the battle after hearing Peter. DarkTyrannomon was growing and changing, or in other words

“He’s evolving.”

It was true. After a minute, his new form finally popped out. It looked deadly and more pissed off than ever.

“MetalTyrannomon. Perfect level. Fierce and mad with power, he will kill anyone in his way.”

He did. Or at least, he did it in the style that would get him charged for attempted murder. He beat the shit out of Galgomon and Kyubimon, knocking them around the street. Eventually, they devolved back to their Child forms. There was only one left on their side.

_Oh no._

MetalTyrannomon approached Guilmon, who looked scared at the figure of death in front of him.

“Guilmon!”

“Got this.” Peter stepped back a bit, then ran forward. “Hey, shithead!” He leapt towards the raging Perfect.

He immediately got his ass swiped by MetalTyrannomon and sent into the building they were standing on top of.

_Oh no/oh no/oh noohnoohnoohnoohn_

*

His vision was starting to get blurry. The front of his body felt wet and sticky.

_Look, Ma. Ended up a porn star. Just what I wanted to do with my fucking life._

He coughed up something from his mouth. He looked at it.

He felt three deep gashes on his chest. His breathing was becoming shallow and slow.

_Holy shiti’m gonna dieidon’twannadiepleaseletmeliveplease  
            Why_

_Why’s my body not healing?_

He looked down. He could see why. Thin flaps of skin were keeping his body from being labeled as sections. He could see all of his organs trying to get out of his body.

_Mom…_

_She’s crying there, sitting at the dinner table. The phone’s still in her hand._

_Yuki…_

_He’s holding his wife, trying to comfort her, but it doesn’t do much good._

_Delphina… Agathe…_

_They’re breaking down in their bedroom, afraid to let each other go, of letting him go._

_If you die, then they won’t get to properly mourn you. So YOU CAN’T DIE._

That voice? Who was that?

_I’m you, you retard. I’m the guy who’s going to go out there and protect everyone. Alright?_

He felt so nice laying there.

_Yeah, you can lay there and fucking die while everyone gets ripped to pieces. Or you can kick some ass. Which sound better?_

_I’m scared, alright? I’m scared to fight, I’m scared of this power, I DON’T FUCKING WANT THIS!! I NEVER WANTED ANY OF THIS BULLSHIT! I JUST WANTED A NORMAL LIFE, GODDAMNIT!!_

_But you have the power. You’re like them. Which means you are in a position to do something._

_…_

_I am like them._

_You know what to do, right?_

_Alright, then, let’s do it._

Instantly, his wounds closed and healed. His breathing stabilizes. But now, his body felt different.

As he stood up, he was surrounded by a blue aura. It was made up of… zeroes and ones?

“What-What the hell?”

His clothing changed as well. He now had no shirt, not even the scraps of his t-shirt, and he wore a small tunic-like cloth over his waist and genitals. On his hands was some kind of glove, but looked deadly; his left glove was outfitted with spikes, while the other had four blades on it.

 _A cestus_.

He’d read about it in a book about Roman gladiators.

_So I’m a gladiator now? OK._

He felt something on his back. He had wings now, like the wings of a cicada, all rainbow-like and shimmering.

_OK. Let’s kick some ass._

He ran towards the hole he made and leapt out. The wings did their thing and glided him towards his target.

“Hey, asshole! You leave my friends alone!”

_Wow, I sound like a douchebag._

He started swiping at the dinosaur with his gloves. He felt fast, like a hawk swooping at its prey. He felt powerful.

“Alright, let’s see what else I can do!” He felt the aura around him shifting and changing. Out of nowhere, he was wielding a short sword.

_A Gladius._

He moved with dexterity as he swiped by MetalTyrannomon, cutting him up with run-bys.

He felt stronger and swifter than ever before. He felt like he had a reason. For once, he felt free.

However, it didn’t seem like it was going anywhere. MetalTyrannomon was healing too fast for him to do anything, and he seemed really, really pissed off.

_I need someone else; who though…_

_He’s going out there… for everyone…_

That wasn’t him. So who was it?

_Everyone else can do the same thing…_

_I can do the same._

_I can protect everyone._

_I can actually do something to help somebody._

_All right then, now I got this._

“EVOLUTION!”

He focused his energy into his left arm, which felt easier than last time. _Maybe all this energy around me is helping?_ He aimed at Guilmon and fired.

The energy surrounded the dinosaur and became red. The egg that formed grew bigger and bigger. He could feel the power coming from him.

His dumbass should have been paying more attention to the aggro bastard about to breathe fire on him.

He felt warmth all over his body. He could see himself in the reflection of one of the building’s windows.

_(How can I see that far?)_

The left side of his body was burned down to the muscle; he could see his facial muscles contouring as if it was trying to figure out what had happened. Then, it quickly healed, nothing wrong with him.

_I’m that strong, huh…?_

Guilmon’s evolution was done. Although, he couldn’t be called that at this point. Well, he was like Guilmon, just a really bigger version of it. He had white hair, he had more muscle, and he seemed fiercer.

“Alright, I think we got this! Ready… um…”

The red dinosaur looked at him.

“You got a name?”

“Growlmon.”

“Alright, then. Let’s beat this relic.”

Peter started spinning around MetalTyrannomon. “I got him distracted. Take him down!”

Around Growlmon’s claws, energy started to flow and crackle. He ran towards the enemy.

“ **Plasma Blade!”**

He stuck both of his hands into the beast, which roared in pain. Peter took his chance and stuck his sword into where its brain would divide into its two hemispheres. “Kill it! Kill it now!”

 **“Exhaust Flame!”** The beast began to burn alive as Growlmon breathed fire. Even Peter was scared of it; his organs began cooking, with his internal healing fixing it as fast as possible. Eventually, the monster started to disintegrate and break up into data particles, which Growlmon absorbed.

Peter found that he had been holding his breath for a while and let it out. He looked over at the red Digimon. “We did good, huh?”

He didn’t have anything to say as he started devolving.

“Looks like we’re done.” He lowered himself to the ground and dissipated his energy. Immediately, he felt tired.

_Holy shit, that took a lot out of me. But, it went well, right?_

*

“Guilmon! Guilmon!”

His head was spinning around, but he could hear something.

“Guilmon! Are you OK?”

He opened his eyes. His Tamer… his friend was in front of him. He was crying.

“Takato… why are you crying?”

“Because… I was afraid that you would die after fighting! I was… I didn’t want you to die because of me!”

“But I didn’t.” _Why is he scared?_

“You… you… I’m just glad you’re OK.”

He heard footsteps walking towards the group. It was a human.

“Relax. I work for the government.”

For some reason, Peter looked like he was facing MetalTyrannomon all over again.

_[Your reality is worthless.]_


	9. After

After

“How tall is this building?”

All of them had entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Building and were in one of the elevators. He knew the exact height (242.9 m _[797 ft]_ ), but being inside it and looking at the number of floor buttons got to him on a level he couldn’t really fathom at the moment.

The man calling himself Yamaki didn’t answer, only pressing the 40th button. The elevator doors closed and it started to go up.

He’d asked earlier what he did. He was told that he’d be informed when they got to their destination.

_I can’t believe I have to wait for this shit._

He heard a sigh near him.

“Calm down, Terriermon. You don’t look that bad.”

He had decided to give Terriermon a human form resembling a teenage male while Yamaki was talking to the people he worked with. The only inclination of his real identity was his white-and-green hoodie that had rabbit ears-shaped protrusions on the hood.

“Yeah, but do I have to look like an asshole?”

“If you say any more shit about it, I’m gonna choke you with those rabbit ears.”

_[I’ve done that before (not to actual rabbits). They liked it. It was slightly disturbing.]_

…

He could immediately feel the pressure in the elevator. Fortunately, that was the moment they got to their destination. They followed Yamaki down a hallway.

“What the hell is this place?”

“We call it Hypnos. The official name is long as fuck, so I never bothered to memorize.”

 _A guy who speaks my style. I like it._ “Whatdya do?”

“We monitor digital activity, at least with the limited funds we have. Considering the fact that we just had the first televised attack, I’m considering it to increase quite a bit.”

“What do you mean we were on television?”

He nodded to the tower in the center of the room. “Play the footage from earlier.”

One of the women stationed up there clicked a button; all of the screens in front of them started to play footage from a news broadcast. It was of them fighting MetalTyrannomon.

“We heard reports earlier of several creatures fighting near the Tocho _[Nickname for the Metropolitan Building]_ , and it seems they are true! We are not sure what started the incident; however-“

He saw himself flying out of the window and attacking the enemy.

“Hey asshole! You leave my friends alone!” Even from as far away as the news crew was, he could hear himself clearly.

_Still sound like a douchebag._

The fight continued on until a little after Guilmon evolved, after which it went to static.

“We didn’t realize there was a news crew at that point; when we did, we cut off the signal. Still, what was broadcast is going to a pain in our collective ass.”

“Our?”

“Listen,” he stood up and walked to him. “I’m not here to send you guys to get dissected. I want to help.”

“How?”

“We don’t have the capabilities to destroy rogue Digimon ourselves. Even if we could, there’d be too much bureaucratic red tape bullshit to go through to make it feasible. You guys have been helping us out greatly, so we’d like to compensate that.”

“What, with money?”

“Well, that, and the limited resources we have. We can tell you guys what enemy you are facing before you even see it.”

_Shit, that’d be nice._

“You want something in return, don’t you?”

_Well, Lee’s got a point._

“There are a few things. First, you’re going to have to register with us.”

“We’re agents of the government, huh?” He paused. “I never exactly liked the idea of that, but I’m willing to go with that.” He turned to the Tamers. “What about you guys?”

“OK.” “I’m fine with that.”

…

“Ruki?”

She sighed. “Fine, whatever. I’ll be a little government bitch.”

“That’s the spirit. Secondly, you can’t answer any questions concerning Digimon or anything of the like if someone asks that’s not official. The higher-ups don’t want hostile powers to get the wrong sorts of information.”

“What’s got the PM’s nuts in a bunch?”

_[The line didn’t go that far up.]_

“Al-Qaeda. North Korea. China.”

“Great. Usual suspects.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t really care, but I’m not interested in getting put in front of a firing squad. Anyway, that’s all of the conditions that I have.”

“Really?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re not going to interrogate us for long periods of time and beat the shit out of us?”

Yamaki, for the first time since they met him, took off his sunglasses. He could see the weary eyes and the dark bags underneath.

“I’ve seen that done before. We’ve done shit like that, and it is not fucking pretty. But I wouldn’t even think of doing that to you. You have done nothing but help us, and I am eternally grateful for that. All I want is to have a short private conversation with you. Is that alright?”

.. “Yeah, sure.” He turned his head to the Tamers. “You guys mind waiting out in the hallway?” They all walked out. He faced Yamaki, who was walking over to a desk.

“You mind drinkin’ whiskey?”

“Nah, not really.”

Yamaki pulled out a bottle and two shot glasses. He poured in both of them and gave one to Peter. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They both took a shot.

“Huh. It’s rougher than I thought it was going to be.”

“I know ****** isn’t that good, but it’s pretty cheap. So, your stepdad’s Yuki Kiriyama?”

_[In the original version, I named the liquor they drink, but several lawyers I contacted in this line said that I might get sued, so I censored it. Not sure how cross-line litigation works, or the ramifications of bringing my line into theirs, but I don’t give a shit.]_

“You could say that.”

“Well, he’s married to your mother. Either he’s your stepdad, or he’s just fucking your mom, and neither of them want a divorce.”

…

“He’s more like an uncle than he is my dad.”

“OK.

…

“Listen, about what happened to you”

Peter threw the shot glass at Yamaki, which caused him to fall back on his chair.

“Shit!”

He walked over to the man and stared directly at him while holding him up by his neck.

“If you ever breathe a single word about that, I will kill you. Understand it?”

“Got it.”

Peter let him go.

“Well…” he had to get his breath back for a moment. “This does lead to the other thing I wished to discuss with you.”

“Which is?”

“After all of this ends, if it ever does, you guys should get some therapy.”

… “I don’t need no goddamn therapy.”

He could see Yamaki slightly rolling in his eyes in the way that someone who knows what they’re talking about does when they hear bullshit. “No one gets out of a war unscathed. Even if you come back with a whole body, this” (pointing to his head) “gets fucked up.”

_How the hell would he know? Does he know people? What countries? What’d they see? They can’t’ve seen what I’ve seen. On the other hand, I haven’t seen anyone die in front of me. Well, kinda, but I didn’t see the whole thing. Don’t I have issues already? Is this going to make things worse? Do I even know what I’m doing? Is this normal? Am I asking too many questions?_

“Well?”

… “Well, what?”

“Are you going to tell them about it?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to do it?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I guess that’s as good an answer as I’m going to get.”

…

“So, that’s it?”

“Yeah, I really can’t think of anything else.”

“O…k then.” He started walking towards the hallway. “Hey… I’m sorry I threw that shot glass at you. And tried to choke you.”

“It’s alright. I understand.”

“OK.” He went out, where he only saw Ruki and Renamon’s human form. “Where’d the guys go?”

“They left. They said they lived close enough to walk, but Ruki didn’t want to go home alone.”

“Re-Renamon, you don’t have to tell that bastard that kinda shit!”

He shrugged. “Let’s just go onto the train.”

They got to the station with no trouble; no one was out around 11 at night.

“So… Yamaki says we should get therapy after all of this ends.”

She scoffed. “I don’t need any psychobabble bullshit.”

… “I don’t know, maybe it’d be good.”

“Listen, they’ll just ask a lot of shit about your childhood, as if any of that mattered.”

_‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks’… Maybe we’re both Gertrude._

_[In the original, he didn’t quote Hamlet and just thought that they were both denying their problems, but I couldn’t pass up a Shakespeare quote.]_

The train they needed arrived and all three of them got on.

The lights slightly swung as they were silent.

_Nothing’s the same anymore… Will people treat the same? Nah. Are they going to be bad towards me? What about them? Like hell, I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who fucks with them. Wait, the hell? Where’d this big brother thing come from? I mean, yeah, I understand with Ruki (even if I never really cared about her beforehand) but Takato and Lee… I mean, they’re still strangers in a sense. I’ve never met their families. Still, they’re good people. But the Digimon… What’ll people think of them? They’ll probably hate them. Even if some of them protect us, people don’t like difference. They don’t like me. They never really like me. Well, I don’t really know about the majority of people, but some, I know did._

His cell phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“There was something I forgot to tell you.”

“How’d you get my number?”

“I work for the government.”

“… What do you want?”

“There are other people who have Digimon partners.”

“What the hell does that mean?!”

“What the fuck do you think I just said? I can’t say who they are, though. Invasion of privacy and all that.”

“… How’d you get my phone number?”

“One of your friends, who knew a woman that I’ve had sex with.”

… “Girlfriend or one-night?”

“Fuck buddy.”

“Great. You’re one of them.”

“One of what?”

The doors opened. “You know.”

“No, I don’t. Explain.”

“You’re a real fucking prick, ya know that?”

“I’ve been told that.”

“Hey, why’d you forget the thing about the other Tamers?”

“I was concerned with whether or not I’d have to kill y’all.”

…

“Kidding. I did have a lot on my mind at the moment, though, which is why.”

“I’ll take that. Hey, have a good night, a’ight?”

“You too.”

They were walking home at that point.

“What’d that shitstain have to say?”

“There’s other people with partners. He can’t say who.”

“God-fucking-damnit! Are you fucking kidding me? God, he seemed like a real fucking piece of shit, but I’d never think he’d be so fucking retarded to forget something like that!”

_[She’s got a nice mouth on her…_ _Shut up, Leon!_ _]_

He looked at Rena. “She been like this a lot lately?”

“Not that I have seen, except when someone says something about her body.”

“What does that mean?”

“Something about her chest.”

“She got a flat chest complex?” _[Or what some parts of the internet call A-Cup Angst. I feel like I attract the same kind of audience.]_ _Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s the kind of person who’d get pissy over something like this._

“I believe so. Anyway, we are arrived.”

 _Oh, we have. That was quick._ “So, I’ll see you guys…” He checked his phone. “Tomorrow. It’s still today.”

“What does that mean?”

. “A lot of things.”

“I see. Well, goodnight.”

“The same. See ya, Ruki.”

“Yeah, you too, shithead.” She started to walk to her house. “Hey, Peter?”

“Yeah?”

“… Tell my dad I love him.”

“… Is this earnestly or with great sarcasm?”

“You heard what I said, you fucking piece of shit!”

“Got it. See ya.” He walked to his front door. _Well, here goes nothing._ He opened it.

He could feel the pressure immediately. He wanted it gone. Throw it away like the bastard did to himself. “Mom?”

He saw her the next second. She’d clearly been crying. Her face was slightly red and there were tear stains down her cheeks.

“Mom…”

He couldn’t really say anything after that; she had her arms around him.

“You’re OK… You’re safe…”

 _No, I’m not._ “Yeah, I’m… OK.”

“Let me look at you.” She let go of him, but not by much. “You look the same. Not even a scratch. Your clothes are intact.”

 _Yeah… wait, what?_ He looked down. His t-shirt should’ve been torn to shreds, but it was intact. _Maybe the data repaired it… hell if I know._ “Yeah, it is. How’s everyone else?”

“Well, Yuki wasn’t too shocked, and your sisters were cheering you on.”

 _Not surprised._ “Is he still awake?”

“Yes, he’s in his office.”

“Alright.”

“Wait a moment.” She hugged him again and kissed him on the forehead. “You’re a good man. Don’t you forgot that, OK?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Alright.”

He walked towards Yuki’s office. The door was slightly open. He could him lazily flipping through papers, something he did when he was worried.

“Hey. How you doing?”

Yuki looked up in surprise. “Oh, you’re back home.”

“Where’d you think I was?”

“It… Look, I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, I just…” He got up and hugged his stepson. “I was fucking scared, OK? I didn’t want to lose you, and I didn’t want to lose everyone else, and…”

“Listen, it’s OK, but you’re crushing me more than Mom did!”

Yuki let go. “Sorry. Still, you were… well, shit, you kicked its ass.”

“Yeah.”

“Those two boys we talked with at the café, are they part of it?”

“Yeah, and… um…”

“’Um’ what?”

… “So is Ruki.”

“What do you mean she’s part of it?”

“Well, she had a Digimon partner, just like Takato and Lee.”

… “Has she been hurt?”

“Well, there was one time she was almost choked out by an enemy Digimon, but otherwise she seems to have been unharmed.” _There was that time in the park, but I’ll leave that out for now. Besides, she wasn’t harmed then… I think._ “She also wants to tell you that she loves you.”

“Wait, she actually said that?” He sat back in his chair.

“Yeah. You alright?”

“Not entirely; I’m just talking everything in.”

“OK. I’m gonna go upstairs, OK?”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” He walked upstairs to the second floor.

“Nii-san!” He felt Delphina wrapping her arms around his torso. “You were so awesome out there, and Agathe said that it couldn’t be you, and I was like ‘Well, does it sound like anybody else?’, and then Mom was freaking out a bit, but Yuki calmed her down, and then…”

“I get it. I was pretty cool.”

“That’s not it, you idiot!” She lightly slapped him on the arm. “It’s just what happened was amazing! I’d never seen anything like it! It’s like whenever someone would bully one of us, and-“

A hand covered her mouth. “Mama and Papa do not need to know about that just yet, Aneki.”

“Sorry.”

Agathe uncovered her sister’s mouth. “How are you feeling, Aniki?”

“Pretty good, considering everything that has happened.”

She slightly tilted her head. “You weren’t afraid?”

“Well… kinda, but not for me.”

“Then, what scared you?”

_How far will I go?_

“Aniki?”

…

…

…

“How much it would affect all of you if I died.”

He started to cry a little. All of his defenses were starting to fade. “When I was laying there dying, I… I was worried that… our family wouldn’t… wouldn’t..” He couldn’t hold it back anymore; he sat down on the floor, crying his eyes out. “Wouldn’t exist anymore…”

He felt two pairs of arms around him. “It’s OK, Aniki. We’re still here.” “Besides, there’s not a chance in hell one of those bastards will kill ya.”

He looked up. “You… you sure about that?”

“Yeah. We’ll be there for you, just like you were there for us.”

He was able to stand up again. “Yeah, alright. See you guys tomorrow.”

“You mean today.” Agathe stepped back into the hallway. “It’s past midnight.”

“Alright then. The morning then. Good night.”

“Good night.”

He went into his room. It seemed different than usual.

He turned on the CD/radio in his room. It was currently playing some ‘90s song.

_Today is gonna be the day_

_That they're gonna throw it back to you_

_By now you should've somehow_

_Realized what you gotta do_

_I don't believe that anybody_

_Feels the way I do about you now_

_[This is the opening of the ‘90s hit “Wonderwall” by the Britpop band Oasis.]_

He found himself falling asleep. After everything.

_[Your reality has become fractured. Can you repair it? Should you?]_


	10. Path

Path

“So, what’s it like being a celebrity?”

Peter looked over at the sycophant office worker. He’d been having a conversation with Yuki when this asshole showed up.

“Well, unlike your traditional celebrity, who might say that there are some benefits to it, the only good thing about me now is that the line clears quickly when I’m getting coffee.”

_[The same happens for me. Although I get different stares.]_

Things hadn’t gone poorly after what the media called “The Digital Battle”. The morning after, Yamaki made a statement at the press conference.

_“For the past several months, it has been known that Digimon not only exist, but have entered the real world; the hypothetical notion appeared 5 years before that. An organization called Hypnos, of which I am the head of, have been observing for any sign of digital activity. We first found it 6 months ago.”_

_“Why was the public not told?”_

_“For reasons of security. I cannot say any more.”_

_“Who was the first one to come up with the idea of real-life Digimon?”_

_“I cannot comment on that.”_

_“Is there anyone fighting against this threat?”_

_“Yes; however, I cannot say who they are.”_

_“What should the general public do?”_

_“Digimon require spare data that they bring with them to operate in the real world. This comes in the form of a giant fog cloud. If this fog occurs, the public should evacuate the area immediately.”_

_“Mr. Yamaki-“_

Nobody knew the name of the Tamers; nobody besides Hypnos saw them. One of his high school classmates figured it out, however, and it had spread far in the past four days. If he entered an urban city in Japan, everybody would know who he was.

For the most part, nobody messed with him. On the other hand, nobody got close enough to do so. Sure, friends talked to him and thought he was really cool and brave and all that shit, but everyone else stayed away from him. He felt like the person that parents would whisper about to their children, telling them to ignore the strange man. Once or twice, someone who had worked in the building he crashed in yelled at him, blaming him for losing their pay. He wasn’t angry at them; they just needed someone to vent to, and he told them that the government would recomp them, but that didn’t seem to matter. Everything had gotten a little too complicated.

Which brought him back to the shaking weasel in front of him.

_Maybe my status ain’t so bad after all._

“I’m sorry, I really am, I just-“

Yuki looked at the man. “Just go.” The employee left, leaving the two of them alone.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. It wasn’t really that bothering. So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

“Well, I have a meeting with-“

“KIRIYAMA!”

A woman had stormed into the room. Yuki’s secretary was right behind her.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kiriyama. I told her you were busy, but-“

“It’s alright. She can stay.”

The woman sat down.

In Peter’s mind, she was nice looking. Long legs, flat stomach, nice tits, long chestnut hair. The one thing that – well, it didn’t bother him, but the only dint off what he considered artistic perfection were her cheekbones. They were somewhat high, giving her a fierce-looking appearance.

“What’s the matter, Machi?”

_Machi? That sounds familiar._

“What’s the matter?! Those fuckers want me to cut a scene out of my book!”

“And why do they want to do that?”

“Because they don’t want to ‘encourage teenage sexuality’! I mean, come on, a lotta them’re going to fuck, and this book shows the safe way to do it!”

Yuki looked at him. “Peter, this is Machi Kumakawa. You’ve read her literature.”

“I’m… quite familiar with it. I do say, _Honey Girls_ is more introspective than most people think.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re one of those people who think that pink films are any deeper than having sex.”

“First off, I think the older ones do. Secondly, didn’t you say you wanted to encourage teens to have safe sex?”

“Well, I don’t use my literature to explore, I don’t know, the impacts of the war on our nation or the balance between freedom and security. I just write about relationships.”

He shrugged. “To each their own.”

“Are you saying that you’re different?”

“Listen, when you’re being paid high prices to write hentai dojin, you can put some stuff in there to influence people.”

“Like what?”

“Usually, it’s about creating more lax censorship laws. Sometimes, it’s about the ultra-right. Often, it’s just about trying to convince people that sex is fun.”

“How fun?”

“I, uh… I wouldn’t know.”

“You’re a virgin?”

… “Yeah.”

“Well, that’s alright. You don’t mind me asking why?”

“I’m waiting for the one.”

She chuckled a little. “So, you’re a romantic?”

“You find that funny?”

“Not really. It’s just that the crowd I hang out with… well, they don’t wait that long.”

With that, she left.

“Is… Is she always like this?”

“Yep. Gotta love someone like that, don’t ya?”

“… I think.”

*

A lot of people bothered her. They didn’t say anything or get close to her, but they looked at her in a way that bothered her. They looked at the wrong parts, or looked too long. Ryu didn’t ever have a problem with it.

_If they a fuckboy, I just tell them to eat shit. If I’s like them, well… we’s might have fun._

His broken-ass accent confused her at first, but she kinda liked it now.

She arrived at her destination, a low-profile maid café in Akihabara. One of her favorite songs was playing on the radio they had.

_Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree?_

_I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something._

_[These are the opening lyrics to the ‘80s hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)” by Eurythmics.]_

“Hello, Miss Kumakawa. Will you be wanting the usual?”

“Of course, Rosa-chan.” She petted the maid’s head, which made her giggle.

“I’ll get it for you, Mistress.”

She sat down at her table with her friends. “Well, what have you been discussing today?”

“Ryu-kun got head from the rep in the class next to him and one of Natsumi-chan’s college friends thinks she got HPV.”

Alice, at 13, was a bit too young to describe these kinds of things so calmly, but Machi felt it showed she had a good head on her shoulders. A lot of her classmates, however, found her weird and off-beat, which left her with a lack of friends. Around those friends, she became the calming presence of the group.

Natsumi was much more of an enigma, even to the group surrounding her. At one moment, she could be very proud and haughty, but then the next, she would become taciturn and cold. Despite this, if one could manage her the right way, she was supportive, fiercely determined, and wise in her own ways. Actually, one could say that about all of them.

Ryu didn’t fit that idea; he actually seemed kind of stupid in that country hick kind of way, especially considering he still had that accent all these years. Everyone who knew him as a close friend saw him as more than that; he was someone unwilling to deal with the bullshit of life and aggressive in getting what he wanted. This got him into a few fights, but he felt that proved a purpose; besides, it helped his image.

All of them had images, both in their reputation and their fashion choices. Machi used to be quite decadent in her performing days, but now she usually stuck with casual Lolita fashion. The rest of them were definitely eye-turning; Alice favored lacy shiro-loli clothing, Natsumi chose a more stylistic punk-loli garb, and Ryu wore clothing based around American greasers (the only thing ruining it was his blue hair; he couldn’t get rid of it).

“Really, Ryu? Kiko gave you head?”

“She ain’t never done it before. I tell her ‘xactly what it felt like.”

“And she consented?”

“I ask her a lots. She were OK wit’ it.”

“Well, alright then.”

At that moment, Rosa arrived all of their various drinks, during which she accidently( _-on-purpose_ ) spilled a little of Machi’s onto her leg.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss Machi!” She had a slight smile to her face.

She petted her head. “Oh, don’t worry about that; it doesn’t bother me too much. But don’t think you’re going to get away unpunished.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Machi put Rosa on her lap and slapped her ass several times. Each slap brought a slight moan from the girl.

“Well, I think that’s enough for this time. Just remember this.”

Rosa got up and giggled a little. “Yes, Mistress.”

“Oi, we got customers, girl! Get your arse over there!”

“Yes, sir!”

The owner of the place was a British expat who got the nickname “Stake” after losing part of his intestines after falling on said object. He was always telling somewhat creepy stories about living in Ireland during the troubles, but he was a guy who didn’t put up with anybody’s shit, so that got him good marks in their books.

“Hey, Machi-kun’s in here!”

“Hey, Mr. Vulcan.”

This place (somewhat surprisingly, considering people’s beliefs about this place) was a frequent gathering place of Yakuza and Yankees. Partially because there were cute girls there, and partially because the presence of Stake meant not many people would be interested in causing shit. The group typically interacted with them, but made sure they didn’t get too deep into their affairs, especially with Vulcan. He may have seemed friendly, but he didn’t get nicknamed after the Roman god of volcanos for nothing.

_“Hey, you’d hear about Vulcan?”_

_Machi was on her futon in her apartment talking to one of her Yankee friends._

_“What?”_

_“He nearly killed a guy last night.”_

_“What’d the other guy say?”_

_“The poor bastard said that his mother sucked a lot of dick to have her money wasted on a faggot like that.”_

_“I guess he didn’t take that well.”_

_“Not really. Guy’s got every limb in a cast, all of his fingers broken, every rib cracked, and got skull fractures. Fucker’s in a coma.”_

_“He going to make it?”_

_“If he does, he’s going to have some brain damage.”_

_“What’d Vulcan say?”_

_“They saw him being run over by a car. They gave him the description of some asshole that Vulcan hates.”_

_“You think the cops will believe it?”_

_“Nah, but if they can put that other guy down a few notches, I’ll think they’ll let it off pretty lightly. Maybe get one of the guys for something minor, but nothin’ much.”_

With that in mind, Machi decided to leave them be today. She wanted to relax with her friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

*

Ryu entered his apartment hearing the beep of the answering machine. He walked over to the phone.

_“Hey, Ryu, it’s Takumi. You left behind one of your textbooks at my place. Maybe you could come back and… pick it up.”_

_‘ll think ‘bout ‘it._

He knew Takumi from high school. He went to his house from time to time – when his parents were out.

He went over to his bedroom. “Ay, Dracomon!”

“Yo, Ryu-kun!” The blue and red Digimon flew over towards him. “So, how’s everyone?”

“Natsumi-chan an’ Alice-chan w’nt home and Machi gonna swing inna bit.”

“Alright… um, do you want me to go out for a while?”

“A’ight, see ya late.”

“Alright.” He opened one of the windows and flew out to the city. Ryu closed the window.

_Not sure how he does it, but ‘t ain’t my problem._

Ryu sat down on his futon, looking up at the ceiling.

_Ryu sat down on his futon, looking up at the ceiling._

_“Hey, you alright, Ryu-kun?”_

_Machi’s hair was still damp from the shower, her body only covered by a towel that didn’t hide much._

_“Y-Yeah, I’s good.” He couldn’t really look at her._

_“Ryu-kun, look at me.”_

_He felt her hand on his cheek. He did as she said._

_“I miss them just as much as you do, OK? But it’ll get better, I promise.”_

_… “Will you be there, Machi-nee?”_

_She smiled. “Of course, silly. Now, go to bed. I’ll be in there a moment.”_

_…_

_“But, ya o’ly got ‘ne futon… I’an slep on da floor.”_

_She walked over to him, only wearing panties. “We can share, Ryu-kun. I won’t mind… unless it bothers you.”_

_“No, it don’t… I’s just…”_

_He could feel his face heating up. Being faced with a naked pretty woman was a bit too much for him._

_“I’s… I’s…”_

_“Well, you’re embarrassed, but I don’t think it’ll bother you too much.”_

“Hey there.”

He could feel her on top of him. She was giving him a predator’s smile. He gave her a slight one.

“Hey ther.”

She went forward and kissed him on the lips.

_Wha’s that? In ‘er mouth?_

She continued to kiss her, heedless of his inner thoughts about the taste of her mouth. He could feel her tongue slide into his mouth, so he returned the favor.

“mmm…” He could feel her breasts move up and down in time with their breath.

She moved her mouth away from him.

“So, wanna fuck?”

“Yea’. I’s good wit dat.”

“Alright.” She turned onto her back. “I don’t feel like doing the work today, not after the assholes I’ve had to deal with.”

He got on top of her, over her crotch. “Ya don’t th’nk I m’nd dat?”

“Oh, I’d know you’d enjoy it.”

He placed his hands underneath her shirt and grabbed her breasts.

“Mmm… yes, Ryu… mmm…”

He started his rhythm, moving his hands at a steady pace.

_Ah gods, de’re so soft…_

“C’mon, ya idiot… take it off already…” She had her hands over her head as he took her shirt off. He reached behind her back.

_I’ve d’ne dis hund’eds ov d’mes… Whys it ‘lways so hard?_

He was able to unhook her bra and started taking his own shirt off.

“I’ll help.” She started unbuckling his pants. After he was done with his shirt, his pants were next.

 _Dere, got dat_ She pulled him closer to her and went back to putting her tongue in his mouth.

“C’mon, just stick it in already.”

He stuck her tongue out at her. “Got it, mistress.”

As he felt her tits, she pulled his underwear off.

_A’ight den, I’s got it._

He pushed forward.

“You missed.”

  1. “Um, sorry ‘bout dat.”



“It’s alright.”

He tried again. He felt it this time.

_OK, I got dis._

He started thrusting back and forth, slowly, not too fast. He didn’t want to finish too early. He felt Machi grab his ass to help him.

“Yes… yes…”

_Aw fuck, dis is so good… Yes…_

Her breath was getting a raspy, panting tone to it. It was turning him on even more.

“Yes... mmm…”

_Bick and f’rth, Ryu…. D’n’t lose y’rself too quickly…_

They were shaking faster and faster, both on the edge, in a battle to see who’d go first.

“Ah!”

She was first, letting out a slight moan. He continued, but he let go a little bit later. He flopped onto Machi’s chest, both of them heaving in and out.

“That felt good.”

“Yea’, yea’ it did.”

They laid there for a while, getting their energy back. Eventually, he rolled off her.

_I nedda re’lly thought ‘bout it, but we’ve n’ver re’lly d’ne da ‘hole couple t’ing… One’a us comes in, “Hey, h’ney, how’s yo’r day?”, “’Tis good, sum pr’blems, but nothin’ major”…_

He heard the door open.

“Ay, Natsumi-chan.”

“Hello, Ryu-kun.”

“’s Alice-chan wit ya?”

“Yeah.” Natsumi walked into their bedroom and got her face close to his. She put her tongue in his mouth. She walked over next to Machi and laid next to her. “So, how was he today?”

“Well, he fucked up at the start, but he was pretty good.”

“Sorry I’s destracted by dem tits.”

Machi threw her bra at his face. “Sometimes, even I can’t tell what you’re saying.”

Natsumi put her arms around Machi. “Then don’t listen to him, Machi-chan. Listen to me.”

“Well, that may not be a bad idea.”

He went to their bathroom as the two of them started to make out. As he cleaned himself off, he looked at himself in the mirror. He put on his pants and walked to the kitchen. Alice was sitting there.

“Ay there.”

“Good afternoon, Ryu-kun. How was Miss Machi?”

“She were nice.” He went to get his cigarettes when he felt arms around him. “There somethin’ you need, Alice-chan?”

“No. I just like being next to you.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “’m goin’ up to da roof. ’ll be back inna bit.”

“OK. I’ll be watching those two.”

He chuckled. “A’ight.” He exited his apartment and walked up to the roof. As he lit up, he looked over the Shinjuku skyline. The Tokyo Metropolitan Building was a little to the left of his view, and the next few streets over were full of Yakuza dive bars, brothels, and tattoo parlors. He sat down with his feet hanging over the edge.

“What the hell is going on here?”

_[Answers, questions, turns out the two don’t always get along.]_


	11. Shuffle

Shuffle

She was humming a song to herself she had heard on the radio (what it was called, she could not tell) as she was walking to school. The only people she saw on the street were fellow students. They were talking about homework and the other gender and the battle and whatnot.

She typically stayed to herself when heading towards school. She didn’t really know anyone else there. Sure, there were a few that she knew, but not well enough to consider a friend. Her only true friends were Machi, Ryu, and Natsumi, all of whom were significantly older than her. Still, she had them, so it didn’t really matter what the other people at school thought.

_She’s such a rich bitch, she doesn’t care about anyone… She hangs out with fags and sluts… I hear her dad’s stepping out on her mom…_

_[In the original version, the statements were more passive-aggressive, but they didn’t sound right in English, so I removed the passive.]_

The last one was false. He just spent a lot of time out of Japan to deal with business abroad. But people didn’t care about that. They saw only what they wanted to see.

Her phone beeped. She looked to see who texted her.

_Hey, I’m inviting that Peter kid over to the café this afternoon. I was hoping you would come._

She smiled. Machi had a strong interest in him.

_All right. I should be available then. See you later._

She continued to hum her song. She didn’t care about the name of it.

*

Le Café American.

_Someone’s a fan of old movies._

_[Peter’s referring to the American classic Casablanca, in which there is a café called Le Café American.]_

Peter had gotten a call from Machi earlier in the day.

_“Hey, Peter-kun. This is Machi. You met me at Kiriyama’s the other day.”_

_“Yeah. I remember you. What’s up?”_

_“I want to meet up with you and talk to ya. Say, around 4:30?”_

_“All right. Where am I headin’?”_

_“Le Café American. It’s in Akihabara.”_

_Wouldn’t expect a maid café to be named this, but nothing really surprises me anymore._

He entered into the establishment. A barely-legal girl approached him.

“Welcome! Oh, I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Yeah. I’m looking for Machi Kumakawa. Is she here?”

“Ah, you’re looking for the mistress. She’s sitting over there, with the foreign-looking girl.”

_Foreign-looking girl?_ He walked over to the table indicated by the maid. Machi was sitting there, along with a young girl with light blonde hair, so light it seemed to lack any color. He sat down. “Well, who’s this?”

“My name’s Alice McCoy. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

She acted and sounded polite, formal, almost like a doll.

“McCoy? Is your father Paul McCoy?”

“Yes. You have heard of him?”

Of course he would have. He was the founder and CEO of McCoy Computing, a British-Japanese business that dealt with hardware manufacturing. They were pretty big, but not so much that every person on the streets knew of them. Still, they made enough to make Mr. McCoy a millionaire, somewhere between 30 and 40. He hadn’t heard of

“Yes, I’ve heard of him. I didn’t know he had a daughter.”

“He likes to keep his private life private. Which sounds obvious when you really think about it.”

“I understand. Everyone’s got a right to privacy, even the rich people.”

Machi looked over at him. “Even you, Peter-kun?”

… “Yeah, even me.”

“You’re not surprised that I know?”

“If you know Yuki in the way that I think you do, I’m not surprised you know his relation to me.”

“I didn’t you existed, actually, not until I met you. I knew Yuki had got married after Rumiko, but who he never told me. Still, it was pretty easy to figure out you were his stepson.”

_Well, this is interesting._ “How’d you figure that?”

“You weren’t afraid. All of his employees have some sort of fear when they’re around him, but you don’t. At the same time, you seemed too familiar to be just a friend. So the only thing that I could think of was that you were family.”

Alice looked over at her with a confused look. “I thought you said he could also be his-“ Her mouth was quickly covered by Machi.

“It was just a conjuncture, it wasn’t serious in any way, Alice-chan.”

_Should I ask? I don’t really wanna know. On the other hand_

Static and electricity filled his head. He yelled out.

“Peter-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Digimon. They’ve crossed over.” He sat up. “I gotta get over there.”

The two of them sat up as well. “We’re coming with you.”

… “You’re the others. Why am I not surprised?”

“Others?”

“Let’s just get over there.”

The three of them left the café and headed off to

_Our death? Rebirth? Revelations? Who knows?_

*

 “It’s heading towards Ichigaya.”

_[Ichigaya is in the eastern part of Shinjuku, located near Kagurazaka.]_

“How do you know?”

“That’s where it is. I just know.”

Machi knew something was up with Peter from the time she met him. His posture indicated that he was hiding something, that he was always checking his speech, making sure he said what he wanted to say and nothing else. It didn’t seem like he’d done something wrong, but he _was_ hiding something. What it was, was his own business.

“Miss Machi, isn’t the Ministry of Defense over there?”

…

They were currently running towards the area, but Peter stopped. “Shit, this is taking too long.” He put his arms around both of their waists. “Hold on.”

Before she could say anything, she felt lifted into the air, with the wind blowing around her.

_What the fuck?!_

He had wings coming out of his back.

_Fucking_ wings.

_I’ve seen some shit in my lifetime, but this is higher than anything else._

They landed onto the block next to the digital fog. She could see Peter’s body now, and she wasn’t that impressed.

“You need to work out more.”

“I never really had the need for it. Anyway… what the fuck is that?”

She looked at where he was indicating. Some flying creature was fighting the enemy Digimon. She knew it. Him.

“Dracomon!”

“He your partner?”

She turned her heard quickly at him. “Of course he’s my partner, you fucking idiot!”

He looked at him, head slightly cocked. “How was I supposed to know? You never said anything.”

“Albicillamon, Adult level. An eagle-based Digimon, it is quick to strike its prey and crush it with its titanium-enhanced claws.”

All of them looked up at the bird in flight, which was chasing the tiny dragon. “You gotta say one thing, it is majestic. All right, I’ll go help Dracomon.” He went up after them.

Machi was watching the whole scenario before her. All of them were combating in an aerial duel that rivaled those of Rickenbacker and the Red Baron. Albicillamon often dive-bombed its enemies, but its speed was not enough to catch up to them. Dracomon and Peter were made to gash and slash the bird, but it was enough to harm it.

_[The names are references to two notable pilots who combated each other during World War I.]_

“I know you’re worried about him, Miss Machi, but he’s built to defend himself.”

She looked over at Alice, who seemed fixed onto the battle above her.

“I know, but…”

_She was searching on the internet about something or other when it happened. Her screen started glowing with an intense light._

_Ryu looked over at her. “Da hell’s dat?”_

_“I don’t know, it just started-“_

_Something popped out of it into her lap. It was a creature, mainly blue-green in color, with orange wings. It kinda looked like a lizard, but those puppy eyes it was giving her made her really confused._

_“Machi Kumakawa!” It – well, it sounded like a boy, so it should be called he – started flying in her face. “You’re my partner!”_

_“I’m your what?”_

_“Your partner! See, this proves it!” In his claw, he held a device of some sort._

_“What is this?”_

_“It’s a Digivice! It symbolizes the bond between us!”_

_“So, that makes you-“_

_“Yep! A Digimon!”_

_She looked over at her boyfriend._

_“What? I don’ know what da ‘ell is goin’ on.”_

Ever since then, she treated Dracomon like her pet, taking care of him and loving him, but being afraid of what he could do. He’d have to fight one of these days, but that day would hopefully never come.

It did.

The battle was attracting more people, who were taking pictures of the conflict. Dracomon and Peter weren’t getting anywhere, and they were starting to look worn-out. The eagle Digimon, on the other hand, had been relentlessly pursuing them across the sky, and he’d been getting closer and closer to them with each pass.

_Both of them are trying to do everything to defeat him, and I’m just standing here, jacking off._

_No, there is something I can do…_

She took out the Digivice in her skirt pocket.

_“It symbolizes the bond between us!”_

_Please, protect everyone around  us…_

_Protect Peter-kun in his battles…_

_Protect our family…_

_Protect me…_

The energy of the air became electrified with power. Peter pointed his arm at Dracomon.

“EVOLUTION!”

A stream of blue energy flowed towards Dracomon. He was surrounded and started to grow. Out of the mass came a different sort of creature. It was dragon-like, sure, but it was much more imposing than Dracomon, and much more of a strong blue color.

“Coredramon. Adult level. His size is only matched by his immense strength, leaving very few Adult level enemies strong enough to defeat him.”

_Holy shit, he’s that tough?_

He was. Immediately, he began attacking the bird. And he was relentless. Without using any other his attacks, he was running it ragged, with Peter helping to keep it distracted. Unfortunately, his lack of energy seemed to get to him.

The bird reached out its claw and impaled him on one of his talons. It went straight through his midsection. Everyone gasped.

“Holy shit. Is he- is he, you know, gonna be/He will be fine, Miss Machi.

“I believe in your partner.”

Peter was struggling to get himself off, but it wasn’t doing much. He seemed to be signaling to Coredramon to do something. _But wha-Oh god no not that is he fucking retarded_

“ **Blue Flare Breath!** ” Coredramon spit sapphire flames from his mouth, burning the eagle Digimon. Its screams were short, but clear. Out of the blue, Peter started falling from the sky.

_ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit_

Coredramon dove towards the freefalling human. He was able to catch him a few stories above the ground. She let the breath out that she didn’t know she was holding.

Coredramon landed on the ground, upon which Peter got on his two feet. And promptly fell down.

_God, what an idiot._ She and Alice helped him up as Coredramon devolved to Dracomon and went to Machi’s shoulder.

“Where do we need to take you?”

“Can you” He paused to cough and catch his breath “get me to the train station?”

“Yeah, sure.” They started walking, while the crowd split before them.

They walked quite a bit until they got to one of the stations. All the while, no one said anything.

“How you feeling, Peter?”

“Like- um… like I’ve been put in a washing machine and left in for a cycle.”

“Nice analogy. Can you walk yet?”

“Umm… No, not really. I can move my toes, at least.”

“Well, that’s good.”

The train arrived and all of them got in. It was somewhat crowded, but they found a spot where they could be together.

“I’m sorry… for you two having to drag me back.”

“It’s alright. We’ll have you home in no time.” She patted his chest.

“Ow, that kinda hurt.”

“Sorry about that.”

…

“Why do you think everyone is staring at me?”

“I don’t think it’s you they’re staring at,” she said as she looked at the dragon on her shoulder. He covered himself with his wings.

The train stopped, and Peter mentioned to them. “Here, get off here.” They walked with the crowd and got up to ground level.

“It’s only a few blocks away.”

“Can you walk?”

“Let me try.” He took his arms off of the two of them, and started to walk. He made a few steps before falling to his knees. “OK, I don’t think so.”

“You need some help?”

“I’d like that.” Peter put his arm around Machi’s shoulders and all of them started walking towards his house.

She felt all of the people around them staring. Some did it quick, some did it for a while, but they all stared.

_Yeah, just stare at the injured man. It’s not like he deserves some sort of privacy._

They were on his street. She looked around. She was surprised at the surroundings. It was much more traditional than she expected from the son of Kiriyama.

“Here, this is my house.”

Of course. He would live in the only modern-looking house in the area.

“Hey… Thanks for helping me back.”

“Hey, I owe you.”

He looked back at her. “I do?”

“For helping Dracomon.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, you’re welcome.” He waved to them and entered his house.

“Come on, let’s go Alice.”

“OK, Miss Machi.”

They started walking down the street.

“Hey, Machi.”

“Yes, Dracomon?”

“Are you angry at me?”

… “Why would I be mad at you?”

“Well, you just haven’ talked to me this whole time, that’s all.”

She petted her Partner’s head. “I’m not angry, I was… I was scared that, when you fought, you could… you know, die.”

“Aw, come on, Machi! I ain’t gonna die that easy!”

“You know, you’re starting to sound like Ryu.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

_[Maybe, maybe not. We pick up traits from those around us.]_


	12. Scope

Scope

The soft sound of raindrops woke her up. She looked to see the rain slowly pattering onto the window.

“Mmmm…” She didn’t exactly feel like getting up; her bed would disagree with that.

_[Too bad I can’t feel that anymore…]_

“Natsumi.” She felt something prodding her. She still resisted.

“Natsumi, you have to get up. It’s time for school.”

She looked over. A soft white face was looking at her. “You have to get up.”

… “Alright, fine, I guess, mghafnnscns.”

“I’m not sure what that noise was, but I’m going to expect your answer to be that you had a good wet dream.”

She gave a small, cat-like smile. “I don’t have to say anything.” She got out of her bed and went to the bathroom. She got into the shower and turned it on. The warm water rolled over her body.

“Mmm…”

“Are you doing anything special today, Natsumi?”

“Nah. Probably just hanging out with the group.”

“How quotidian.”

“Hey, I don’t see you doing much.”

“That’s because I have to stay cooped up in this house the whole goddamn day. I’d think, considering your freedom, you could do other things.”

Now Kudamon was really starting to piss her off. “It’s too dangerous for you out there.”

“Dracomon was able to fight yesterday.”

“Yeah, and that’s only because Peter was around. Due to that, he’s probably cooped up in his house, getting over his injuries.”

… “There’s something you’re not saying.”

“Well, I don’t have to, you bitch!” She stepped out of the shower and started to dry off.

“You should remember that I am here to help you.” With that, Kudamon slipped out of the door.

_Probably staying in my bed._ She didn’t mean to yell at her, but… they were in that kind of relationship where two people were stuck with each other and had a knack for pissing each other off. For Natsumi, it was Kudamon’s seeming insistence that she was more aware than her. For Kudamon, it was probably her dual inclinations to shield her emotions and just let all out.

_I need to apologize to her later._

She stepped into her bedroom. As she put on her school uniform, she looked over to her bed. It didn’t seem like Kudamon had found refuge there.

She walked into the dining room. Breakfast was already laid out.

“Good morning, Father.” She kissed on the cheek.

“Good morning, Natsumi.”

Her parents had divorced a few years ago (her mother went to the coast to work as a marine biologist) so it was just her and her father. He worked as a coroner for the Tokyo government and performed very well at his job. He always had a grandfatherly manner in his words and actions, which was odd considering he just turned 40.

“So, did you have a good sleep?”

“Yes, Father.”

“That’s good. What are you going to do today?”

“Nothing much.”

“Alright, then.”

The two of them ate in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

“Well, I’m heading off now. See you later.”

“See you later, sweetie.” He was reading the newspaper as she left.

As she walked out, she looked above at the sky. A plane was leaving a contrail in its wake. For a moment, one of the paths stopped, but then continued.

*

All three of them were watching their partners playing with each other. They felt separated, yet together. They had barely interacted with each other since the battle near the tower. They hadn’t seen or talked to Peter.

“So…” Lee tried to start conversation.

…

“What the hell’s up with Peter-kun?”

“You live next to him, Makino-san. You should know.”

“Yeah, but he’s barely come out of his house.”

“How do you know?”

“His sisters have come over a few times. They’re worried about him. I mean, Delphina-nee did describe him as a ‘grand ass-kicker’, but the point was still there.”

“I didn’t know you were friends with his sisters.”

“You never asked… But, yeah. I’ve known them since I was really young. After.. umn, my parents…”

Takato leaned over. “We got it.”

“… They were my big sisters that I never had. They always loved me and cared about how I felt. They helped me a lot.”

“Well, that’s good.”

They watched their Digimon playing (tag, it seems). Guilmon was having a hard time becoming not it, and Terriermon was laughing his ass off at the situation, but Renamon had a coyness towards her.

Takato continued the conversation. “Do any of us know what we’re doing exactly?”

“Of course. Beating the shit of those Digimon who are stupid enough to cross over.”

“Our Digimon crossed over. What’s special about them?”

“Well, you know… they have us. And they’re not wild animals.”

“The sentience of individual Digimon has not been fully established on every occasion. Maybe the process of crossing over without a Tamer makes them go temporary insane.”

Ruki looked at Lee. Looked at him with an unspeakable gaze.

_Holy shit._ “So, are… are we murderers?”

“Like I said, we don’t have proof either way. The point is, we should be more aware of who we are and what we’re doing.”

“Ok. What are the answers?”

…

…

“We’re people trying to do the right thing.”

“I agree with Takato-kun. We’re just people; we’re not heroes.”

“I like that. Besides, being a hero has too much bullshit attached to it.”

“Well, aren’t we the realists?”

They all looked up. A woman was standing above them.

_Shit, and I thought Delphina-nee’s tits were big._

“Do we know you?”

The woman gave a small laugh. “Not before now, but now you do.”

…

“What”

She sat down. “My name is Machi Kumakawa, and that Dracomon over there is my partner.”

They looked over. Some sort of flying reptile was now playing with their partners.

“No fair! None of us can fly, you asshole!”

“Ha, ha, guess you’re going to have to try harder to catch me!”

They looked backed at her.

“So, you’re one of the others that Peter talked about.”

“Ah, so you know Peter-kun?”

“He was the one who really brought us together.”

“That seems like the Peter-kun that I know. Of course, I just met him a few days ago, so I don’t have much authority to say on the subject.”

“So, why did you come here, Miss Kumakawa?”

“Well, that’s simple. I wanted to learn about my fellow… um, what are exactly?”

“Peter-kun calls us Tamers, so that’s what we use.”

“Tamers, hmm? Well, it’s definitely appropriate for us.

“So, I guess I should start with a proper introduction.” She placed her hand on her chest. “My name is Machi Kumakawa. I am 20 years old, and I work as an author.”

“What kind of author?”

“Oh, you know, adult stuff.”

They all turned a bit red.

“So, like Peter-kun?”

“Yes, just like Peter-kun. He’s a nice guy.” She had a look in her eyes.

_I’m not going to ask about that._ “So, do you know any of the others?”

“Yes, Miss Makino, I do actually.”

“W-Wah?! How do you know my name?”

“I know your father, sweetie. Of course I’d know you.”

“You know Mr. Kiriyama?... How do you know him?” Lee had a tone in his voice.

“Oh, you silly boy. It’s not like the way you’re thinking. My parents know his parents, and I met him when I was young. He’s sort of a big brother figure.”

“I see. So, who are these others?”

“Well, there’s my boyfriend Ryu, he has a Flamon. There’s a friend of mine, Natsumi-chan, who has a Kudamon. And then there’s my little sister Alice-chan, with her cute little Labramon. Actually, she’s not my little sister, but she basically is, and she’s just so cute, I wish she could be.”

_She better not be a little sister freak._

_[Trust me, I’ve known way too many of those kind of people.]_

A cell phone started ringing. “Ah, that’s me. Hello… Yes, I see… Of course, I’ll be right there.”

She stood up. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go somewhere. Dracomon, we have to go!”

They could hear him sigh.

“Actually, I was planning a meeting where all of us could interact and finally meet one another. Tell Peter-kun that we’re meeting at the café. He’ll know where that is.”

“OK.”

They all said goodbye and Machi, along with Dracomon, left the park.

“Well… she was interesting.”

“Yeah. Hey, are you guys going to that meeting?”

“I guess. I ain’t got anything better to do. Lee?”

“OK. I’ll try it out.”

“Machi seems like an interesting woman.”

Their partners had walked over to them in human form.

“Yeah, and she’s got nice tits!”

“Terriermon!”

“What, I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing.”

“I’m not, Terriermon. Besides, what are your chances with her? She said she had a boyfriend.”

“Hey, Takato? What’s a boyfriend?”

“Well, it’s a guy who is going out with a girl.”

“What does going out mean?”

“Well… it’s when two people like each other and they form a relationship.”

“Like us?”

“No, not like that. It’s… it’s hard to describe.”

“Why?”

“Love is a hard thing to describe, Guilmon. Besides, I bet this idiot couldn’t get a girlfriend if his life depended.”

“Wha- I could.”

Ruki got in his face. “Oh, really?”

“Actually, from what I’ve seen, Takato would make a suitable mate. He’s nice, dependent, and willing to help anyone.”

“Come on, I wouldn’t go out with a loser like Takato! What the hell are you saying?”

“I didn’t say you should go out with him. Now, were did you get that from?”

Ruki started blushing; she could feel his face turning red.

_God, everyone’s like a freak… yet, why does it seem so normal?_

_[After a revelation, it’s nice to be with your friends, even if they annoy you.]_


	13. Meeting

Meeting

“Trust me, they’ll be fine.”

“I still want to come anyway. I want to see what they’re like.”

Peter scratched the back of his head. The other day, Machi had invited him and his sisters to a meeting with all of the Tamers. Yuki and Estelle wanted to come along.

“Alright, just don’t say anything embarrassing.” _God, why are you doing this to me?_

_[They’re parents, bro. That’s what they do.]_

They reached their destination.

“Le Café American? I’ve never heard of this place.”

“Yeah, that’s probably because you don’t frequent this kind of place. Yuki and the girls might, but not you.”

… “What is that supposed to mean?”

 _Aw shit._ “You’ll see.” He walked in. “Kumakawa-chan, you in?”

“Yeah.” All of the Café Tamers ( _that’s a good term_ ) were there with their Digimon.

“Machi, you’re one of them?”

“Yes, Kiriyama. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see what y’all were like.”

Machi’s eyes started to sparkle. She walked over to his mother. “And who might this beauty be?”

“I’m Estelle Frank. It’s nice to me.”

“The same.”

…

“Could you stop perving on my mother?”

“Aw, but she’s so pretty.”

_[If I could do that annoying shit where people put like 10 emojis in a row indicating sexual interest, I would.]_

He looked at the blue-haired guy. “Is she always like this?”

“Som’tin. She can git re’lly inta ladies.”

“… What the fuck did you just say?”

“I think ya got bigg’r pr’blems.”

He looked back. _Aw shit._

Machi was giving a bear hug to his sisters… and suffocating them.

_[… You can’t see me, but I’m doing the OK sign.]_

“Ah! You’re so cute! I just wanna take you home and snuggle you.”

Yuki and Estelle were sitting by the bar, clearly enjoying themselves.

“Kumakawa-chan, I understand your infatuation with my sisters, but could we please get to what we’re trying to do?”

She sighed. “Fine.” She let them go, but not before giving them a kiss on the forehead. Delphina and Agathe sat on both sides of Peter, while Machi sat on the side of her friends.

“So, where are the others?”

“They should be here soon.”

“I’m surprised your group isn’t with you.”

“Ruki was going to meet up with Takato-kun and Lee-kun at her house and then head here.”

“I see.”

…

“So, Machi, how’d you guys get your partners?”

“Well, they all popped out of our computers.”

“C’mon, Machi! You can describe it more than that!”

Dracomon popped out. All of the others were surprised, Yuki in particular.

“So that’s what they look like up close. Where are the rest?”

“They’re around here… somewhere. You can come out, guys!”

There was a shuffling around Natsumi’s shirt, out of which a small white creature popped its head out. It was a… a weasel, maybe an ermine?

“How nice to meet you.” Her voice was... unenthusiastic, to say the least. “My name is Kudamon.”

_[Oh God, the kuudere.]_

A closet door opened to the side and a human boy walked out. Well, kinda human, if a human mated with some sort of weird fire-wood creature. At least he looked friendly.

“Yo, I’m Flamon! I’m with Ryu over here… or as he would say, ‘I’ wit’ dis bastard Ryu ‘er h’re’.”

“Ya’, ya’, c’me ‘ut wit yar bullshit.”

“So, where’s the last one?”

“Beneath you.”

He looked down. A dog.

“What.”

“I am Labramon. It is nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“Aw, she’s so cute!” Delphina patted her head, which Labramon seemed to like.

“Thank you very much.” She walked over and laid herself at Alice’s feet.

“So that’s all, huh?”

“Well, yeah, except for-“

The door opened. The three original Tamers walked in, with their partners in human form.

“Hey, you made it.”

“Of course. What else did you think we would do?”

… “Not come. I mean, that was always an option.”

_[Option A: Come like a normal human being. Option B: Don’t come and look like a bitch… I think we all know the right answer.]_

“Well, Makino-chan did want to bail for a moment, but all’us convinced her to stay.”

“Shu-shut up, you stupid rabbit! What reason would I want to avoid this thing, anyway?”

“Because you were right in the fact that your father is here.”

“Wha-“ She looked over. She noticed Yuki for the first time. She tilted her head down and blushed. All of them at the table had a giggle at her expense.

_Goin’ to hell for this…_

“It’s alright. It’ll just be like me and Estelle aren’t even here.”

All of them sat them, some more reluctant than others.

…

…

…

“So, how are we going to start this?”

“Well, I guess we could introduce ourselves.”

Everyone seemed to agree.

“Alright, I’ll start. My name is Peter Frank. I’m 20. My job… well, I don’t have a real job, but I do some freelance drawing.”

Everyone had italics in their head for _freelance drawing._

_He really wants to seem respectable; I mean, you could just say “I draw pornography”._

“I’m Takato Matsuki. I’m 13. And I’m a junior high school student. This is my partner Guilmon.”

Guilmon just responded with a nod.

_I hope Terriermon’s as calm…_

“My name is Jenrya Lee. I’m the same as Takato. This is Terriermon.”

“Aw, come on, Lee! You couldn’t give me a decent intro like Takato did! You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that?”

Lee smacked Terriermon on the back of the head. “Stop being a petulant child. You’re next.”

Ruki sighed a bit. “I’m Ruki Makino, 13. I go to a different school than these two. Actually, don’t all of us go to different schools?”

“Yeah.””Yeah.”

“Hmm… Anyway, this is my partner Renamon.”

“Partner? Or partner?”

“Shu-shut up! What the hell are you insinuating?”

“I believe Peter is asking whether or not we are sexually involved.”

Everyone started laughing. Even Yuki and Estelle got a few in.

Peter looked around him. Whatever expression Renamon was giving him, it made him stop.

_Not going to make her mad…_

“Well, what about you guys?”

“OK. I’m Machi Kumakawa. I am a youth of 20 years, and I work as an author.”

Lee looked at her. “Don’t I know you from somewhere else?”

Peter snapped his fingers. “Yeah, weren’t you in an idol group when you were younger?”

“Why, yes… I was. But that was in the past. Natsu-chan, I think you’re up.”

Natsumi looked at her like she said something nasty. “Ahem… My name is Natsumi Amane, 17. I am a high school student.”

_Seemed simple enough… how odd considering the group she’s with._

“’m Ryu Otomine. S’xten. H’gh school.”

…

“Wat? G’t a probe’m wit da way I t’lk?”

Nobody wanted to say anything, so they moved on.

“I am Alice McCoy, 13. I’m a junior high school student, just like you all.”

“McCoy? Like McCoy Computing?”

Her face dropped for a moment, before returning to normal. “Yes, yes it is.”

_What’s up with that?_

“I don’t think we’re done just yet. These two cuties haven’t introduced themselves.”

Delphina giggled while Agathe seemingly curled into herself. “I guess I’ll have to do the introductions. I’m Delphina Frank, and this is my sister, Agathe. We’re both 15 and attend high school. Actually, I’m pretty sure we’ve seen Otomine-kun in the hallways.”

“A re’lly?”

“Yes. Especially considering your… reputation.”

“Could s’y da s’me ‘bout ya.”

Peter put his hands out. “Alright, let’s not make this into a slut-shamming match. We have actual things to discuss.”

“Like?”

…

He didn’t know. None of them really knew.

_So, who’s going to speak up?_

…

…

…

“I think I have something, but I’m not sure how you guys will think about it.”

“What is it, Peter-kun?”

"Where were you guys... when 9/11 happened?"

Everyone stared at him. Not a emotional stare, just a blank one.

"You want to open a conversation by talking about the worst tragedy in recent history?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind."

Machi sighed. "Well, you did suggest it, so you should go first."

 

“OK… Gotta think for a moment. I was 16. It was around 10:00 P.M.”

_He was watching the late night news with his mother and Yuki. They were talking about something or other (he forgot) when the newswoman was handed a paper. She looked shocked._

_“We have breaking news. It seems that a plane has flown into the second building at the World Trade Center. There have been earlier reports that a plane flew into the first building about 15 minutes earlier.”_

_Estelle and Yuki looked worriedly. Peter looked at both of them._

_“Is something wrong?”_

_“No, sweetie. Why don’t you go to your bedroom, OK?”_

_“OK.” He went upstairs, but first went to his sisters’ room._

_“Hey, hey, Delphina.”_

_She mumbled and woke her and her sister up. “Nii-chan, what is it?”_

_“Listen, if either Mom or Yuki tell you to do something in the next few days, you do it, OK?”_

_“But-“_

_“Promise me, OK?”_

_“OK.” “OK.”_

_“Good.” He hugged both of them. “I love you, both of you.”_

_He went to his room and laid in his bed. He couldn’t get much sleep that night._

Peter turned around. “Hey, what did you guys talk about that night?”

“We just talked about what we would do if anything happened. Fortunately, nothing did.”

“Yeah… nothing for us.”

…

“Takato-kun, you’re up.”

“I don’t really have an interesting story. I learned about it when I woke up the next morning.”

“Same for me.”

“What about you, Ruki?”

“Well, there was something.”

_It was late, as per usual, waiting for her mother to come back from a job. She should have been back two hours ago._

_She heard her grandmother walking in. “Is something wrong?”_

_“Not for us, but for people we’ve never met.”_

What does that mean?

…

“Miss Kumakawa, you’re up.”

_She just moved over herself like that. How interesting._

“Well then, my experience was a bit more… interesting.”

_She was backstage with five of the other singers from her group._

_(Wasn’t there 8 in your group?)_

_(The other two were making out in some room. Can I continue?)_

_(Of course.)_

_They were all relaxing after the show they had just put on._

_“Hey, Machi-chan, put on the TV!”_

_“Alright, ladies.”_

_They knew something was wrong. The footage they were watching wasn’t of Tokyo; hell, it didn’t even look like Japan. Two buildings were burning, and the reporters were talking about… plane crashes?_

_“What’s going on, Machi?”_

_“I… I don’t know.”_

_She knew it wasn’t anything good._

“So, that’s about it.”

“Hey, what are the other girls doing now-a-days?”

“Well, most of them are in college, but there are some that do things like me.”

“Like you?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. Amane-chan, you got an interesting story?”

“No. I just watched the news, like the rest of them.”

“I get s’methin’ diff’rent.”

_He was hanging out with his friends at a bar that one of their fathers owned._

_“I’m telling you, Nanajiro-san’s tits feel soft.”_

_“Ya ain’t fell shite, asshole. ‘Sides, she ain’t got any tits. Ya’re fellin’ tessue pap’r.”_

_“I have too! She has nice tits!”_

_Ryu rolled his eyes. “Sure.”_

_“All a ya, shut up da hell up!” The owner walked in and turned on the TV._

_“What’s up, Dad?”_

_“Just stay quiet, alright?!” The yelling man suffocated the noise. As the TV changed the right channel, the suffocation became a hand around their throat. They couldn’t understand what the American reporter was saying, but the buildings behind him told all._

_“What’s going on?”_

_… He didn’t say anything. He just stared at the TV._

“As it turn out, one’a his brathurs was on one’a da planes.”

… “That’s a damn shame.”

“Y’ah.”

“Alice?”

“Yes?”

“What about you? You have a special experience?”

… “I believe so.”

_She was in the family library, reading some book._

_(You remember what it was?)_

_(I believe it was by C.S. Lewis. Which one I cannot say.)_

_(Alright. Continue.)_

_She could hear conversation outside. It was quiet, but noticeable._

_“I think we should wait to tell her.”_

_“Wait? There are people dying over there, people we know! She’s going to find out sooner or later, and when she does, she’s going to be worried. I just want to make sure that she’s safe when she does.”_

_“Well then, you do it.” She heard footsteps going away from her room. Then, her father walked in._

_“Is something wrong, Father?”_

_“You know the office I have in New York?” He was sitting next to her, combing her hair._

_“Yes.”_

_“The building it was in was destroyed. It was… flown into by a plane.”_

_“Was Uncle Michael there?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Is he alive?”_

_… “We don’t know.”_

_“Do you think he’s dead?”_

_“… It’s likely.”_

_She felt herself tearing up. She felt her father wrap his arms around her._

_“Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’re still here. I’m still here.”_

“Did he die?”

“They found his body a few days later. At least, what was left of it.”

… “I see.

“So, what’s your guys favorite music?”

For the rest of their time, they talked about pleasant things. They had enough of the other things. They may not have learned anything else useful, but they knew enough.

“Well, all of us are going now, so we’ll see you guys later.”

“Same to you.”

The Café Tamers walked out with their partners.

“So, how do you think that went?”

“Dey look pretty n’ce. ‘Specially da Fr’nk grrls.”

“Which one do you like more?”

“’d go wit Delphie. She got n’ce, roun’ tits.”

“Of course.”

“Miss Machi, Natsumi and I are going to her house, so we’ll see you later.”

“Alright. Bye-bye.”

The two girls waved goodbye and left.

“Well, we got the rest of the day for ourselves. What do you want to do?” She wrapped his arm around his.

“Well, dere’s dis theater showin’ _Pulp Fiction_. Dat sound exciting.”

She sighed. “Well, that’s not exactly what I was thinking, but it does sound fun.”

“’ight.” They walked towards their destination.

_[Everyone’s got their thing because everyone’s got their past.]_


	14. Gale

Gale

The classes that day were mundane, as usual. There were moments of curiosity, only to be replaced by the teacher’s boring lectures and solemn tone. She wished that the school she went to could hire more interesting teachers, but their money seemed to go to constant renovations.

Her classmates were little help, since they wanted nothing to do with her. They never bullied her directly, per se, but there was an aura surrounding them that said something like “You’re not one of us.”

_[The literal translation of that sentence would’ve been “You don’t look like us”, but I felt that was a bit too on the nose.]_

“Miss Alice.”

She was one of them, after all. And they were not a terrible group to hang out with. They wouldn’t be considered “good” people.

“Hey, Mr. Suzaku. How’s your girlfriend?”

“She’s doing pretty well. How’s your gang doin’?”

“Fine, I would say.”

“A’ight then. Well, I gotta head someplace. See ya later.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Suzaku.”

Only in Tokyo could one ever really think a daughter of a multimillionaire and a known gang member would have a pleasant conversation. _[I disagree. I’ve had weirder shit happen in other places. For example, Iowa. Never forget Iowa.]_ But Alice knew she was safe. After all, she had Machi and Ryu and

“Hey, McCoy.”

 _McCoy?_ No one called her McCoy. She looked behind her.

“Good afternoon, Natsumi-chan. You look… a little different today.”

“And what does that mean?”

“Well, you just… um, what I meant was…” _Oh, I’ve got myself into a mess, haven’t I?_

“Nah, it’s alright. I get what you mean. It’s… it’s gotta to do with what happened yesterday.”

“At the café?”

“Yeah, it just made me realize… I’m not sure if I want to be a part of this whole thing.”

“I knew it.” Kudamon slipped out from Natsumi’s shirt. “You have been thinking this the whole time.”

“Well, I don’t think I can handle this well. I didn’t ask for it anyway.”

“Neither did I, but we are partners. We are bonded for life. Whether you like it or not, it is your duty to help people.”

Natsumi looked away from her. She didn’t seem very convinced.

“Well, I have to go home now. I’ll talk to you later, Natsumi-chan.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Natsumi walked off with Kudamon, leaving Alice to think on her own.

_I hope the two of them can come to an agreement._

*

She felt her staring at her. She knew, but she didn’t really care about that moment.

“Well.”

… She didn’t feel like responding. This didn’t interest her too much.

“You know I’m right. You know what you need to do.”

 _I don’t need to do it. It’s none of my business._ She had her own things to worry about.

_She could hear it coming from upstairs._

_“Dad? Are you OK?”_

_“I might need a little help.”_

_She walked up the stairs. Her father was sitting on the top step._

_“Is it acting up again?”_

_“Yeah.” He stood up and put his arm around her shoulders._

_“Alright, I got you.” She helped him down the stairs._

_When he was a child, he broke his leg falling out of a tree. It never properly healed, so it often acted up. Some days were worse than others._

_She placed him at his seat in the dining room table. “Is there anything else you need?”_

_“No, I’ll be fine in a few minutes. You just get yourself to school now, sweetie.” He kissed her on her forehead._

_“Alright. See you later.” She walked out the door, but not before staying in the frame a moment._

“You know, I would think he would want you to do this.”

She looked back. “How would you know?”

“From what I seem, he appears to be the kind of man who would help a stranger if they needed help.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not him. I don’t really give a shit about other people. The only people I care about are my dad, Machi, Ryu, and Alice. Everyone else can fuck off.”

That wasn’t exactly true. But she didn’t care about getting involved. She’d rather just deal with her own problems. Nobody was terribly concerned about whether or not she wanted to become a hero. Especially on the day the two of them met.

_Her father was out, acting at a guest speaker at a nearby university, and everyone was busy, so Natsumi was alone in her home. She was reading a news site online when she heard an odd noise. It seemed to be coming from the desktop._

_“What the hell?” She leaned in closer to it to see where exactly the noise was coming from._

_She couldn’t see for a moment. Some bright light was blinding her. When it was gone, she opened her eyes. A white shape was in her lap._

_“What…” It looked up at her, this… thing._

_“I am Kudamon. I am your partner. It is… nice to make your acquaintance.”_

_What the fuck._

“Natsumi. Natsumi!”

“What?”

“A Digmon has appeared. Over there.”

Natsumi looked towards the area where Kudamon indicated. It was by Shinjuku Station.

“Come on, Natsumi. We have to go.”

… “Alright.”

*

Nobody really noticed her when she was strapped around Natsumi’s shoulders. She just looked like a toy. People didn’t really pay attention to others unless they somehow got involved.

_[Amen to that.]_

“We’re almost there.”

“I know.”

She didn’t want to act like this, like… what humans called a bitch. (She looked it up. It meant a female dog. She was a fox. Big difference.) But Natsumi didn’t seem the kind of person who would roll over easily.

_The Digivice had been vibrating for the past few minutes or so._

_“Natsumi.”_

_She laid on the bed, facing away from her._

_“Natsumi.”_

_No response. She walked over to the bed and looked at her straight in the eyes._

_“Na-tsu-mi.” She enunciated every syllable like it was her last word. No reaction. Not a care, just a stare. She acted like she wasn’t even there._

_[Wait, did the translation just rhyme?... I did not mean for that, but I’m keeping it in.]_

They were in the area now. She could see the fog cloud. They were alone. wait

“What is that?”

“It sounds like someone is fighting.” She jumped off Natsumi’s shoulders and went into the fog. She didn’t care. This was her moment; she could do something for once.

As she got further into the fog, she could hear something clanging, something metal, like a sword.

_This may be more difficult than I expected._

She saw them. A rabbit with guns for arms and a samurai. She wasn’t exactly surprised; she’d seen weirder shit.

“Kudamon?”

She looked towards the voice. It was one of the boys from the meeting.

“Lee. What is happening?”

“Well, my partner – that’s the rabbit over there – is fighting Musyamon, the samurai.”

“How well is it going?”

He shrugged. “It could be worse.” He looked around. “Where’s your Tamer?”

“She’s… outside. What do you need me to do?”

“He’s got a weak point somewhere. I need you to distract it so I can find it.”

“So I’m just bait?”

“Um, I guess so. Sorry about it.”

“It’s OK. I’m used to shit duty. Give me a moment.” She started running in a circle around Musyamon.

“ **Holy Shot!** ” A small ball of light flew towards Musyamon and hit him. It barely damaged him but it made him noticed her.

  1. _I got this._ She started running towards the samurai.



**“Dangan Senpu!”** _[“Bullet Whirlwind!”]_ She started to spin around and shot herself towards Musyamon. The impact was harsher than she expected, as she was left dazed by his armor.

 **“Gatling Arm!”** Lee’s partner fired at Musyamon, which seemed to be more effective, as his armor became dented. Musyamon’s attention was refocused onto the rabbit and he began slashing at it with his sword.

 _Where’s Natsumi?_ Kudamon started running around Musyamon, trying to find that weak point. He kept turning to attack Terriermon, so she couldn’t see his whole body. Then, she finally noticed it.

“Lee! There’s a point on the back of his neck! That should be it!”

Musyamon turned around to look at her. There was an odd look on his face, one of determination and deep thought, as if he was trying to remember something. Then he looked to something behind her.

“Sorry I’m late.”

_Natsumi._

“I was thinking about what I said earlier. About not caring about other people. I’m starting to think that isn’t true. I was thinking about the first time I met Machi. It was just a random encounter. She commented on my clothes and we talked for a while. That’s how we became friends. In every person I see on the streets is someone who I could become close to. So, I understand my responsibility now. By protecting everyone, I protect those close to me. Or, something of that nature.” Natsumi looked over at her, and the faintest smile appeared on her face. “That’s what you’ve been wanting me to figure out, right?”

_Natsumi…_

“You, girl.” The samurai finally spoke. “Are you Kudamon’s partner?”

“I am.”

_That voice. I’ve heard it._

“I see. She has a good partner in you. It’s nice to have someone willing to reconsider their perspective. This is an aspect that I wish more people had, and it’s why I am ashamed to say that I’ll have to kill you.”

“What.”

“Those who I am… forced to work for have sent me over here to kill as many of the humans bonded with Digimon as I can.”

“Why do they want us dead?” Lee had walked over to Natsumi.

“I was not told the why. Only the what and who.”

“Why didn’t you kill me when I came into the fog?”

“Because that would have been dishonorable. I told them I would only kill the humans if I killed their Partners first. Since they wanted all of you dead, they saw no problem with that.” He assumed an offensive position. “I am sorry for what I-“

 **“Gatling Arm!** ” Galgomon fired at his neck, which made him drop his sword. He turned around.

“I feel you should go over here.” Musyamon picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder. The landing caused him to devolve.

“… I know you. You were Dracumon.”

He looked down at Kudamon. “So, you finally remembered.”

“I just didn’t expect you to evolve into this.”

“They chose this form for me. They called me a ‘noble warrior’. Their cause has little nobility, but all of our people will die if I do not succeed. I’m sorry that I have to do this, but I see no other option.” He picked up his sword. “Now then, Kudamon, **Shira** -“

A bright beam of light cut through the fog and hit Kudamon. She felt her body being surrounded by data and start to grow. Her fur became thicker, but parts around her face began to harden. A mask formed. A bladed tail popped out of her back. The data egg around her broke and revealed her new form.

**“Reppamon!”**

She felt strong, but more than that, she really wanted to fight.

“I will face you now.”

“I see. Well then, let the strong triumph.”

They started to walk in a circle, sizing each other up.

_I feel so sorry for him. If I ever see my group again, I’ll have to tell them what happened._

He slashed at her, but she moved out of the way.

 **“Juga Rangeki!”** _[“Frenzied Beast Fang Attack!”]_ Her claws tore at his armor with a ferocity she had never felt before. _Where is all this coming from? Is this because I evolved?_

Her thoughts distracted her, as Musyamon threw her off him. She was able to land gracefully, however. _This feels so natural… well, maybe except this tail. But let’s change that._

 **“Shinku Kamaitachi!”** _[“Vacuum Razor Wind!”]_ A small tornado emerged from her tail and knocked the samurai on his ass.

_I got this._

**“Kurukuru Rekkuzan!”** _[“Rolling Sky-Splitting Slash!”]_ She began to run towards Musyamon, and span in the air. She slashed him with his tail several times, sparks flying in the air.

 _Now for the finishing move._ She flipped around and slashed the back of his neck, impaling his weak point. He started to make choking noises and looked at her. If he could, it seemed like he would have tears streaming down his face.

“I am so sorry for this.”

He shook his head, before finally disintegrating into data. Reppamon felt his data going into her.

_This feels so wrong, but… maybe he’d wanted it like this. How should I know?_

The fog around her disappeared and she could see everything clearly. The group was standing there, looking somewhat awestruck, especially Natsumi. Reppamon walked over to her.

“Are you OK?”

“Was… was he a friend of yours?”

“He was.”

Natsumi looked up at her, her eyes glimmering. “And you killed him.”

“He would’ve killed you. I have a bond with you, which means I must protect you, no matter what they may have meant to me.”

“I see.”

After that, she began to feel tired. She felt her body beginning to get smaller. She had turned back into Kudamon. Natsumi lifted her onto her neck. “There, you feel better?”

“Maybe.” _Not really, but should I really say that?_

“So, Lee, think you can tell your group about these Digimon who are trying to kill us?”

“Yeah. You tell yours?”

“Yeah. See you later.”

The two pairs went in opposite directions.

“Hey, Kudamon.”

She started to feel tired. “What is it?”

“Tonight, when I’m going to sleep, you can be laying next to me, if you want to.”

“That sounds nice.” She closed her eyes.

_[After a storm passes by, there is serenity.]_


End file.
